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New insights into affordable housing

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New insights into affordable housing: Woodknowledge Wales members, Jon James Studio Architecture sets the stage with ‘Creating Homes, Not Housing’

In the realm of affordable housing, few voices are as passionate and insightful as Jon James Studio Architecture. Known for their dedication to quality and community-centred design, they’ve recently released a powerful new document, “Creating Homes, Not Housing” that tackles the pressing issues facing affordable housing in the UK.

“As a studio, we wanted to step back from the busy day to day to really understand and analyze the challenges and complexities involved with creating homes that fall under the ‘affordable banner.’”
—Jon James Studio Architecture, in “Creating Homes, Not Housing”

Jon James Studio Architecture’s lead designers have taken a moment to pause, reflect, and evaluate their experiences in designing affordable homes—an opportunity, they say, to step back from the day-to-day grind and dive deeper into the challenges they face. “As a studio, we wanted to step back from the busy day to day to really understand and analyse the challenges and complexities involved with creating homes that fall under the ‘affordable banner’,” they share. “We needed to capture our experience to date around creating the highest quality homes in that context. We intend to continue to review and discuss with others and welcome comments and other experiences from those passionate about how we can together improve the quality of all our homes.”

Their reflections come at a time when public conversations about affordable housing are stirring up significant discourse, especially in light of The Observer’s recent feature, “They look like homes for rich people”: why Britain should look to Europe for its council housing revolution by Rowan Moore, published Sat 9 Nov 2024.

As Jon James Studio Architecture sees it, the future of affordable housing lies in reframing it as “Creating Homes, Not Housing.” By focusing on this mindset, they believe it is possible to establish homes that are not only high quality but also resonate deeply with the needs and spirit of the communities they serve.

“The document highlights how critical interdisciplinary collaboration is to the success of building quality homes and places.”
—Jon James Studio Architecture, in “Creating Homes, Not Housing”

5 Principles of Good Design in Affordable Housing

    The guide encapsulates five principles of good design, emphasising that context should serve as the “golden thread” uniting every aspect of the design process.

    1. Contextual Sensitivity – Design should align with the character, history, and needs of the local area.
    2. Quality of Space – Both interior and exterior spaces should enhance residents’ daily experiences.
    3. Sustainability – Environmental considerations should be integral to design, from materials to energy use.
    4. Inclusivity – Spaces must be accessible, welcoming, and adaptable to different lifestyles.
    5. Longevity – Homes should be built to last, providing durability and ease of maintenance over time.

    At a time when the housing crisis is intensifying, their work showcases the benefits of an interdisciplinary approach, bringing together architects, urban planners, clients, and consultants to craft homes that stand as examples of thoughtful design and community well-being. “We have been fortunate to work with some inspirational clients and consultants,” they say. “This has given us the opportunity to see, and learn, how this can be achieved through collaboration. The document highlights how critical interdisciplinary collaboration is to the success of building quality homes and places.”

    Key Concept: The Golden Thread of Context

    In affordable housing, context is more than just a design element—it’s the “golden thread” that weaves together the architecture and community needs. By prioritizing the local context, architects can create spaces that feel integrated and meaningful to residents. As Jon James Studio Architecture emphasises, “understanding and respecting the environment around a home ensures it becomes a genuine part of the community, enhancing both social and environmental well-being.”

    Feedback invited

    This new publication, available here on Issuu, is designed to be accessible and actionable, providing valuable insights and resources to anyone involved in residential development. Whether you’re an architect, designer, planner, or simply someone invested in the future of affordable housing, Creating Homes, Not Housing is a valuable resource. Jon James Studio Architecture invites feedback and insights from others in the field to continue pushing the boundaries of what affordable housing can be.

    For more information or to connect directly with Jon James Studio Architecture, visit their website or reach out to them directly. They welcome all dialogue that seeks to elevate the quality and integrity of affordable housing in the UK and beyond.

    Building performance evaluation by Woodknowledge Wales

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    Woodknowledge Wales kicks off its building performance evaluation service at various social housing schemes around Wales

    U-value calculations using thermography-based assessment: Heat3D

    Starting on Friday 1 March, Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built in Environment, and Clara Koehler, Embodied Carbon Lead, carried out various on-site building performance evaluation (BPE) on behalf of Woodknowledge Wales. This work was undertaken in collaboration with Build Test Solutions (BTS) and SOAP Retrofit. The sites under assessment are social housing schemes of various building typologies.

    Dr Diana Waldron, Head of Built in Environment

    This work aims to develop strategies to tackle the ‘Performance Gap’. New homes often fail to meet low-energy targets, and to satisfy residents’ fundamental needs such as ease of use, summer comfort and energy costs. Woodknowledge Wales recommends a ‘core’ BPE scope for clients and project teams wanting to understand and improve the performance of their homes. This provides a holistic look at performance, including people, the indoor environment, fabric performance and energy use.

    This approach limits the involvement of expensive equipment. Instead, the aim is to embed building performance throughout the project stages and empower project teams to deliver high performance.

    All BPE equipment used by our team was supplied by Construction Wales Innovation Centre (CWIC) at the University of Trinity Saint David (UWTSD).

    How to carry out U-values calculations on two different walls simultaneously.
    Above and Right: How to carry out U-value calculations on two different
    walls simultaneously.
    U-value measurement of an external wall using Heat3D.

    A U-value, or thermal transmittance, measures heat transfer from inside to outside through a building element. It’s expressed in W/m²K. Infrared imagery helps locate suitable points for measuring U-values, typically areas with uniform temperatures away from thermal bridging zones. Therefore, these assessments used two methods to measure the U-values of various building elements: Heat3D and Heat flux plates/sensors.

    Using Heat flux sensors to measure heat flux proves valuable as these readings indicate whether an object’s temperature will increase, decrease, or remain constant. They also provide insights into the reasons behind and the rate of temperature changes.

    Surveying an external wall using thermography.
    Assessing COP (coefficient of performance) of installed MVHR unit, to test appropriate ventilation levels.
    Measuring ventilation levels at
    inlet and outlet points of the mechanical ventilation system.
    Above and right: Blower Door Test.
    Above and below right: Pulse Test

    Pulse tests assess building leakage from 2-15 Pa with dynamic high-frequency data logging over a brief 6-15 second test. Results at 4Pa are provided and extrapolated to 50Pa equivalents. Pulse tests confirm if replacement windows or doors have made your property more airtight. Pulse tests can be conducted pre- and post-installation.

    Uptake of this new service has been excellent. Woodknowledge Wales undertook building performance evaluation in four different sites in different parts of Wales this month alone. We are starting to plan future sites for the next heating season.

    If you would like to book Woodknowledge Wales team of experts to carry out a building performance evaluation on your site, please contact: diana.waldron@woodknowledgewales.co.uk

    For further information on building performance, please read our Building Performance Evaluation Guide.

    This guidance is aimed at housing clients, and anyone interested in Building Performance Evaluation (BPE)  who want to evaluate and improve the performance of homes.

    Representatives of the Woodknowledge Wales team ( From left to right: Gary Newman, David Hedges, Dr Diana Waldron, Ceri Loxton)