PROPERTY JOURNAL

Providing sustainable and affordable homes

With the pandemic underscoring the need for affordable housing, how can modular construction and other forms of innovation help us fulfil demand quickly and sustainably?

Author:

  • Richard Hyams

30 November 2020

Sugden Way, Barking © astudio

The pandemic has shown the importance of tackling our mounting housing crisis and providing accommodation for everyone, with lockdown and the impacts of being confined to our homes for lengthy periods of time showing the importance of addressing the needs of people who do not currently have access to safe, secure housing.

At the same time, it has highlighted the need to improve the environmental impact of our buildings: 15% of COVID-19-related deaths worldwide have been linked to polluted air.

The £3bn green investment package announced by the UK government is a promising sign that environmental and social responsibility remain central to the housing agenda. However, in order to reduce our impact on the environment while providing desperately needed affordable homes, architecture and construction will need to turn to innovative methods.

The modular approach

Just a third of UK local authorities met their housebuilding targets last year, despite an urgent need to reduce a housing shortage believed to be in excess of 1m homes, according to the BBC Housing Briefing.

This has gradually recovered, and construction sites are set to remain open throughout the second lockdown thanks to new safety measures. Yet for the government to provide the housing stock that we need, it is clear that innovative approaches are needed.

Despite the government's pledge to build 180,000 new, affordable homes by 2026, progress this year is likely to be significantly hindered by COVID-19. As the sector downed tools in the first wave of the pandemic, the IHS Market/Cips Construction Purchasing Managers Index fell to its lowest ever level since data was first collected in 1997, with estimates suggesting that productivity on construction sites across the UK declined by as much as 40% in June compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Reducing construction time and emissions

Modular construction, a method increasingly being explored by many of the UK's leading housebuilders, offers speed, sustainability and safety. Elements of a building are manufactured in a highly controlled factory environment while work is carried out on site, reducing construction times significantly. In our work at architectural practice astudio, we are set to complete 12 modular homes in Sugden Way, Barking, later this year.

Under pressure to tackle the housing crisis and reduce the emissions that construction currently contributes in the UK – some 40% of the national total – housebuilders face a balancing act. Modular construction can require 67% less energy to produce than conventional practices, and save up to 90% of the energy used over a conventional house's lifetime, keeping the environmental impact of the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) sectors in check.

Building in the right places

By building homes at speed, modular construction makes it possible to address some of our critical housing shortages. Our Desborough Road project, for instance, is set to supply a complex of 58 temporary accommodation units for vulnerable homeless families in High Wycombe.

Using a fabric-first approach – focusing on the components and materials used, with the aim of maximising the building’s performance – will enhance insulation, reduce heat loss and minimise air infiltration, offering vastly improved efficiency. In turn, this will minimise overheads and free funds for the local authority to invest in the local community in the coming years. In the short term, the use of modular construction has also maximised the volume of accommodation that the project can supply, to support as many people as possible.

Unlike structures built using traditional construction methods, there will be further potential for the building to be adapted and re-used once it has served its intended purpose. Using its own volumetric modular product, amodular, astudio is creating a system for so-called "meanwhile homes", which can be temporarily situated on land destined for further development in the years to come. Once they have served their initial purpose, these structures can be redeployed at new locations to redistribute temporary housing stock to the areas where it is most urgently needed.

Natural selections

Despite the shortage of affordable homes, it is important that AEC doesn't lose sight of its other targets. As we strive for net-zero emissions across the economy, innovation will become vital across the housing sector.

In an effort to reduce the environmental impact of our projects, astudio is exploring the potential of living wall technology, which involves incorporating natural organisms into building materials. Using an algae machine, astudio has devised a method of skinning external walls with organic material that can sequester existing carbon compounds from the air and help to produce biofuel that will reduce the environmental and financial cost of powering our buildings.

Living walls are just one innovation with the potential to drastically improve the efficiency of our buildings. In the coming years, we expect that artificial intelligence will offer architects greater support in reducing the impact of new buildings by helping us to make more informed, timely design choices, while requiring fewer resources.

Genetic algorithms, for example, which use machine learning to replicate the process of evolution, offer promise. Inspired by Darwinian natural selection, these meta-heuristic systems can continuously evolve a design to find its best form. These algorithms have already been applied to a range of complex problems across various industries; in furniture manufacturing, for example, they are used in the continuous review of production processes and optimisation of products to ensure that schedules are met.

Such meta-heuristic systems can guide new thinking in building design, enabling architects to make intelligent decisions and innovate far more efficiently than they would with pen and paper methods. By testing our models in non-linear ways, we can assess our designs against a range of parameters to achieve the best environmental outcomes, such as improved energy efficiency or reduced material waste.

"astudio is exploring the potential of living wall technology"

New strategies for design

While algorithms offer greater design efficiency, few can support architects better during the design stage than the local communities who know the area best.

Advances in VR visualisation, largely driven by the gaming industry, have seen plug-ins such as Enscape become increasingly central to our projects, allowing us to walk through and adapt our designs in real time. Not only do these tools help us to assess and minimise a building’s environmental impact, but they are also empowering communities to voice their opinions during the consultation process.

Before foundations have even been laid, VR walkthroughs can provide an immersive experience of a building. Bringing these new experiential elements to the process offers an invaluable opportunity to gain input from the community, which can guide us in improving the way the project meets the needs of local people.

"VR tools are empowering communities to voice their opinions during the consultation process"

Putting social impact and sustainability first

Some 60% of UK tenants have struggled financially during the pandemic, while 20% have had to make a difficult choice between buying food and paying rent. The need for affordable housing can no longer be downplayed.

Supercharged by new technologies, broader adoption of modern methods of construction, including modular manufacturing, will play a crucial part in providing the homes our communities need. However, while doing so, AEC must ensure that these homes are fit for the future, prioritising affordability, sustainability, and social impact.

info@astudio.co.uk
@AstudioArch

Related competencies include: Sustainability

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