Richard Essex gives his personal perspective on the Royal Society of Architects in Wales (RSAW) annual conference 2013, The Place of Home
The focus of this year’s RSAW Conference was firmly on housing, particularly on the increasing need to provide homes of quality that are energy-smart and relate both to the creation and maintenance of a sense of place and sustainable communities.
In her introduction, Lynne Sullivan, partner at sustainableBYdesign, stressed the need for quality in all aspects of the built environment. This includes ‘building in’ sustainability and resilience, achieving reduction in energy demands and creating spaces as places and not just an afterthought to buildings. She also stressed the importance of being more innovative with land and land values as a trigger to generating the provision of more homes and a means of raising standards. This really set the tone for the conference.
Both at the ‘warm-up’ workshops and in the main conference programme, Professor Wulf Daseking, former chief planning officer, gave an insight into the remarkable achievements made in the German city of Freiburg in relation to integrated economic, social and environmental action based on the principles of quality and sustainability. The vision and the strong commitment to delivery has enabled the construction of good quality homes, with an integrated mix of social, private rented and privately owned housing within individual communities that achieve high levels of energy efficiency. In this context, since 2011, all new housing must meet Passivhaus standards.
But this is set within a wider policy background for sustainability, which includes an established and fully integrated public transport system. This embraces good quality, relatively cheap and reliable bus, tram and regional and national train services for a city-wide population of just over 220,000; and with the majority of residents living less than 250 metres from a tram or bus stop. Such is the intensity of use of the public transport that income from fares meets well over 80 per cent of cost.
The overall planning principles that have been adopted are based on greater density of development, especially housing, close to transport nodes and corridors and focussing the overwhelming majority of land release within a ‘contained’ built up area. In Freiburg there appears to be a very strong influence/control over private land sales, especially in relation to land with development potential. In this context, service infrastructure is delivered in anticipation of the commencement of physical development works and not after the development has been completed.
In terms of the concept of ‘place’ and ‘home’, the quality of the surrounding physical environment is considered to be a critical. The use of space between buildings is integral to quality of life and well being. Parked vehicles and the private car seem to be seen and accepted as an enemy to the quality of life!
Key features
Some key features in relation to the ‘Freiburg model’ seem to be the culture of working within and between the public and private sectors, which is innovative, imaginative and not risk averse. Second, transformation of the city has taken almost 30 years, so there is not scope for short- term political reversals or quick fixes and for departure from an overall vision based on sustainability.
Roger Graef, filmmaker, writer, broadcaster and member of the RIBA Future Homes Commission, referred to some of the conclusions of its Building the Homes and Communities Britain Needs report (2012). He focussed on the need to build ‘homes’ and not ‘units’ and on achieving a standard of quality that reflects people’s needs, such as storage, natural light, privacy and flexible living space. He was scathing about the failure of standard valuation procedures to reflect design quality of housing and the lack of transparent, comprehensive information that consumers are entitled to before making one of their most important decisions.
Roger also looked at the need to invest in the provision of new homes, identifying public authority pension funds in the UK, which have combined assets in excess of £180 billion. Just a small proportion of this potential source of investment funding could support a significant number of local developments of sustainable, mixed tenure communities across the country.
But more importantly, he stressed the need for a better quality and a sense of place. Places and buildings should be memorable and not subject to the quotation ‘there is no there, there’.
A challenge to engage
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM, chair of the environment and sustainability committee of the National Assembly for Wales, also stressed the quality of homes and place and the need to raise both standards and aspirations, particularly in relation to the sustainability agenda. He challenged the architects and the professional services sector to engage in the democratic process, as he considered built environment professionals are the custodians of quality and sustainability. Whether it be energy efficiency, planning, sustainable land management, building regulations, habitat protection, biodiversity or the powers of Natural Resources Wales, engage and lobby! A series of presentations were given by architects and urban
designers in relation to good practice in housing. Johnathan Hines outlined a strong commitment to the Passivhaus standard for housing design and construction, which embodies the principles of an energy standard; a comfort standard; a quality assurance standard; a technical standard; and with an approval process.
He compared this with the conventional volume house provision, which he considered to be of poorer quality and poorer energy performance and the provider of an uninspiring suburban environment.
A presentation by architect Wayne Forster and CEO of Warm Wales Phil Roberts gave focus to the inevitable increase in the demand for homes of all kinds for the over 60s age groups. This will be a major challenge to designers, housing providers and those engaged in the creation of sustainable communities
There was much discussion both within and outside the conference sessions confirming there is a wealth of expertise in Wales from across professional boundaries that can help to deliver better quality more sustainable homes and higher quality spaces, places and communities. But the exchange of good and even poor practice, from within and outside of Wales, can provide a basis both for improving performance and for creating an evidence base which can assist politicians and key decision makers in delivering higher quality and more sustainable development.
Richard Essex is co-ordinator of Regeneration Skills Collective Wales