Sustain
UK
Vision for the future
Delivery of major housing projects in the UK has become a political, economic and social imperative. There is chronic under-delivery in terms of housing numbers and the delivery of quality housing schemes “at scale,” whilst being sympathetic to the surrounding environment is essential.
Planning the delivery of a new settlement is reliant upon an appreciation that we can only really make commitments today that will be fully realized by a later generation of planners, politicians, landowners, developers and residents. This requires that the early stages of delivery set the standards of design, sustainability and community cohesion through the provision of some simple and straightforward terms of reference.
Policy is key
Early adoption of a robust policy framework will provide the long-term “glue” for a major project of this nature. The policy needs to cover the whole strategic vision and set up the policy against which planning applications will be assessed. The challenge in the delivery of garden villages is that they are big, complex and infrastructure hungry. The response is to work with the system, not overpromise, and to be realistic as to the scale and scope of commitments that can be made for a scheme now - commitments that will be fulfilled over a long period to meet the interests of a different generation.
Associated Infrastructure
Greater flexibility in work and life has accelerated the requirement for associated infrastructure across technology, transport, housing and utilities. On large urban schemes the aspirations of local authorities are to secure high volume broadband provision to all members of the community and to provide public transport and accessibility across all interests from new and existing developments. They are concerned with access and affordability to accommodation. They’re also interested in EV charging as a form of infrastructure moving forwards.
The last piece of the puzzle seems to be heat transfer and energy sharing across urban development schemes. Shared energy has evolved into a core component of existing and future development schemes with the potential to pave the way for a selfsustained approach to energy generation.
Building adaptability
The social and environmental impact of urban developments should not be underestimated. It is important to maintain, adapt and continue the integration of facilities for the greater good of the community. Over time, building structures will serve a future purpose. Whether this is through recycling or re-use and it is imperative to offer a greater degree of adaptability and change. This adaptability is crucial for multi-generational use, which can be sought to offer alternative uses for buildings in the future (for example using retail developments for residential, or the creation of new office space). This all adds a layer of “smartness” to the scheme as well.
A lasting legacy
The point of legacy for urban developments should not be understated. For the urban regeneration scheme it is important to maintain, adapt and continue the integration of facilities for the greater good of the community. Building resiliency and structures offers a greater degree of adaptability and change. This is crucial for multi-generational applications which can be sought to offer alternative uses for buildings in the future (retail, offices etc.) which adds a layer of "smartness" to the scheme as well.
The Middle East
Built for purpose
In the Middle East, the fast growth and availability of well-located undeveloped land has given rise to a number of master community and new city type developments. Commonly built on greenfield sites, these types of projects are typically substantial in scale. There are fewer restrictions around planning and other associated legacy issues and a focus around mixed use developments to ensure that they work for everyone and are investor ready.
But starting from scratch also presents challenges in meeting the infrastructure requirements of these developments to make them feasible in the long term and for their intended purpose - tourism, live & work, or all of the above?
It is clear that different projects will be focused on achieving different things, but what stays the same is the human aspect. There is a real acknowledgement around the needs of social infrastructure as a common theme across all of these developments including hospitals, schools, mosques etc. with substantial investment taking place.
Funding
When it comes to funding, there is no one size fits all approach. However, there is a common approach across international jurisdictions. This has been to masterplan the whole site and then select certain areas that can be sold to be developed with private developers. The sale proceeds or saving in development cost through the partnership can then be used to fund the development of common infrastructure and the wider utility and infrastructure within the development itself.
In most developments, including in particular in KSA, while there is some development from private developers/investors, there is still a need for substantial financing by the master developer themselves (e.g. through funding allocations from the Public Investment Fund in KSA) or ultimately monetizing completed parts of the development (e.g. infrastructure, sales of commercial/residential aspects, etc).
Sustainability
Sustainability on all levels is front and center on these projects in the Middle East. From infrastructure (including a real push for renewable energy sources) to design to build (this not only includes the full liveability of these buildings, but also the materials and constructions used) to operations - many projects in the Middle East have aspirations of becoming leaders within the sustainability space.
Did you know?
We are able to leverage the knowledge we have developed across international markets to support our teams to resolve the challenges delivering projects in local jurisdictions.
