mapping existing housing standards

8/9/2019 Mapping Existing Housing Standards

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Housing standards:evidence and research

Mapping existing

housing standards

A report prepared by Richards Partington

Architects for CABE in May 2010.


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Richards Partington ArchitectsFirst FloorFergusson House

124-128 City RoadLondon EC1V 2NJT 020 7490 5490F 020 7490 5494E [email protected]


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Contents :

Introduction 1

Code for Sustainable Homes 2

Lifetime Homes 5

Secure by Design 7

Building for Life 8

Building Regulations Approved Documents 11

Summary Diagram 12


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Introduction

This short mapping exercise intends to set out simply the wider context of existing standardsthat new homes in England must conform to. It reviews: the Code for Sustainable Homes,Lifetime Homes, Secure by Design, Building for Life and the Building Regulations Approved

Documents.

This report was commissioned by CABE and carried out by Richard Partington Architects. It isa useful background document outlining the origins and coverage of existing standards. It isnot comprehensive in its considerations, but useful to inform CABE and others thinking on theinterrelationship of different standards currently in use.


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Code for Sustainable Homes

The Purpose of the Standard

The aim of the Code is to improve the overall sustainability of new homes by setting a single

national sustainability standard for England, Wales and Northern Ireland within which the homebuilding industry can design and construct homes to higher environmental standards, and givenew homebuyers better information about the environmental impact of their new home and itspotential running costs.

The Code uses a sustainability rating system indicated by stars to communicate the overallsustainability performance of a home and it considers issues such as the embodied energy ofmaterials that exceed the scope of the Building Regulations. A home can achieve asustainability rating from one ( ) to six ( ) stars depending on the extent to which ithas achieved Code standards. One star is the entry level and six stars is the highest level reflecting exemplar development in sustainability terms. The structure of the Code and theweighting of environmental impacts assessed within it is derived from the Building Research

Establishments (BRE) Ecohomes scheme.

Policy Weighting

The Code is a voluntary standard with flexibility for developers to determine the most cost-effective mix of issues to cover to achieve any particular level, subject to a limited number ofmandatory requirements. However, it is also used as a condition of funding for the Homes andCommunities Agencys National Affordable Housing Programme, on other government projectsand land, and by local authorities when they want to set sustainability-based planningconditions on housing developments in their area.

The Code assessment scheme is administered by registered assessors licensed by theBuilding Research Establishment. The Code is not a statutory standard but the Energy andC02 Emissions category use a method for calculating energy performance that is mirrored inthe Building Regulations. A Code assessed house must comply with the Building Regulationsas well so there is duplication in certain respects. The calculation methodology for establishingemissions performance, the Standard Assessment Procedure, known as SAP, is common toboth the Code and Building Regulations Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) but inoperation and compliance the Building Regulations are entirely independent of the Code. Theassessment procedures are the same for energy and emissions performance in order that amixed development of publicly funded housing and private housing is assessed with the sameSAP methodology. Some confusion has arisen over this relationship and this is compoundedby the tendency to consult on changes to the Code and the Building Regulations

simultaneously.

Essentially the Code is a means for demonstrating sustainable design that exceeds StatutoryStandards in both scope and target performance.

Spatial Scale of Implementation

The Code measures the sustainability of a home against nine design categories, rating thewhole home as a complete package. Within each design category there are a series of issuesthat are scored individually to attain credits. A minimum level of performance is necessary inmandatory categories (Energy and Water, for instance). Other categories or issues are nonmandatory and are described as tradable. The abbreviations for each issue are shown in

brackets:


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Energy and CO2 Emissions (Ene 1-8)

Water (Wat 1-2)

Materials (Mat 1-2)

Surface Water Run-off (Sur 1)

Waste (Was 1-3)

Pollution (Pol 1-2) Heath and Wellbeing (Hea 1- 4)

Management (Man 1-4)

Ecology (1-4)

In general the requirements of the Code relate to the detailed design of developments and donot address larger scale issues such as site selection, urban design, layout, amenitiesprovision and infrastructure.

History of the Standard

The Code was introduced in 2006/7 and replaced the BREs EcoHomes standard. EcoHomeswas introduced in 2000 and used a rating system of Pass, Good, Very Good or Excellent tograde the sustainability of new homes. A significant criticism of EcoHomes concerned thetrading-off between areas of the standards, so that, for example, homes with poor energyefficiency standards could still receive a high designation. Like the Code, EcoHomes was avoluntary standard that became mandatory for projects funded by the (then) HousingCorporation and English Partnerships, or where required by local planning policies.

EcoHomes itself had its origins in the earlierBREEAM Version 3/91 (New Homes) of 1991 andits 1995 revision the Environmental Standard: Homes for a Greener World. This was the thirdstandard created by the BRE under its BREEAM methodology and delivered a simple Pass or

Fail result with a minimum level of performance under each area of the standard.

Impact on Housing Design

Energy and emissions The Code energy and emissions criterias current influence overhousing design and space standards is an indirect one. However, the proposed changes inenergy policy, particularly the introduction of the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (FEES), willbe reflected in revisions to the Code. The Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard is the first plankof the Governments definition of zero carbon within what is known as the energy hierarchy. Itrecognises that in new building we should first focus on saving energy or demand reduction,by improving insulation and thermal performance, before adopting low and zero carbontechnologies. As a result, the Code will exert a stronger influence over dwelling form and

position. Detached houses will require better performing fabric, while larger homes, regardlessof type, will need to work harder to comply with the new standard. The increased cost to adeveloper of doing so will further increase pressure to constrain overall dwelling sizes. Ofcourse the whole life cost will be reduced as a result of more efficient homes, to the benefit ofthe occupier.

Waste The Code sets detailed requirements for internal and external storage space forrecyclable materials that go beyond HCA standards.

Health and Wellbeing The Code embeds the Lifetime Homes standards as an optional ortradable criteria. It also sets out optional criteria for providing private external space (garden,balcony etc). The requirements for daylighting, whilst optional and not exceeding those set outin British Standards, discourage the use of deep-plan single aspect dwelling layouts and mayalso indirectly encourage brighter and more spacious designs.


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Location and Transport The Code includes an option for the provision of a home officespace, which must be accommodated in addition to other furniture requirements. It also has anoption to provide secure and covered cycle storage. Whilst this can be provided in an externalshed, it may also be included within the dwelling in which case it must be in addition to otherspace storage requirements.

Likely Changes

A revised version of the Code was published for public consultations which ended on 24 thMarch 2010. The intention is to introduce the revised version later in 2010 to coincide with theupdates to Building Regulations Parts L and F. Further major revisions to the Code areanticipated in 2013 and 2016, in line with the implementation of the Zero Carbon Homes policyand future changes to the Building Regulations.

The principal changes proposed in the current revision will bring the Code into line with theproposed Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard and the new definition of zero carbon.

The scoring will place greater emphasis on energy efficiency with reduced, but still significant,emphasis on emissions.

The requirements will incorporate changes to the accessibility requirements to reflect theproposed changes to Lifetime Homes and it will also include greater flexibility for the waste andrecycling storage provision.


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Lifetime Homes


Lifetime Homes was created in the early 1990s as a result of research by the Joseph Rowntree

Foundation into the long term suitability of our homes. The aim was to promote accessibilityand inclusivity in dwelling design to ensure that dwellings would adapt over time to suit thechanging circumstances of the occupants through old age, reduced mobility or temporarydisability. A lifetime Home is a home that will not evict its occupants through changingcircumstances.

Policy Weighting

Sixteen design criteria have structured the standard since its inception. Although some of therecommendations have now become embedded in statutory documents such as BuildingRegulations Approved Document Part M the Lifetime Homes standard has always beenachieved through self-evaluation. There is no accredited assessment system though the

standard is now in the custodianship of Habinteg Housing Association who maintain thewebsite and offer guidance on interpretation. Revisions to the standard are currently beingconsidered under the consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes, which ended in March2010.

The GLA made Lifetime Homes a requirement for all development, private and public, in the2004 London Plan. In July 2009 the government published a PPS on Eco-towns and theLifetime Homes Standard is a material consideration for any development within an Eco-town.


The Lifetime Homes concept was developed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, HabintegHousing Association and The Helen Hamlyn Foundation in the early 1990s. The resultant 16design criteria aim to produce homes that are accessible to a wide range of occupants andable to be easily adapted to meet changing needs of a household. Those provisions, whichattempt to anticipate future changes and introduce adaptability, are different in spirit fromBuilding Regulations, which prescribe the minimum accessibility standards for a dwelling at thetime of construction.


The design criteria that impact on space standards are discussed below. The generalrequirements are stated or paraphrased with a note on the potential impact.

Criterion 6 Doorways and Hallways The width of internal doorways is related to corridorwidths and approaches, which range between 900mm and 1200mm. This provision exceedsthe requirements of Approved Document Part M.

Criterion 7 Wheelchair Accessibility There should be space for turning a wheelchair in diningareas and living areas and adequate circulation space elsewhere. A 1500mm turning circle or1700x 1400 mm turning ellipse will satisfy the requirement.

Criterion 8 Living Room For visitability the living room should be located at entrance level,affecting the space planning within the dwelling but not necessarily its internal dimensions.


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Criterion 9 Entrance Level Bedspace In houses of two or more storeys there should be spaceon the entrance level that can be used as a convenient bedspace. No specification ordimensions are given. In practice moveable items of furniture can be removed as this is aprovision for a temporary illness or disability and the main design consideration is the potentialposition of the bed in relation to immoveable items such as windows, doors and electrical

services.

Criterion 10 Entrance Level WC and Shower Drain Dwellings with three or more bedrooms,or on one level, must have a fully accessible WC and drainage provision to allow a shower tobe fitted. The Lifetime Homes requirement is more onerous than Approved Document Part M.

Criterion 12 Stair Lift and Through Lift A suitable space for a through-the-floor lift connectingthe ground to an upper bedroom must be provided. The staircase in the home must becapable of accommodating a seated chair lift. To comply with the space standard the staircasemust be 900mm wide and the landings must be unobstructed.

Criterion 14 Bathroom Layout The bathroom should be designed to incorporate ease of

access to the bath, WC and basin. In practice there is not a requirement for a turning circlehowever adequate circulation space must be maintained in front and to the side of fittings.

Likely Changes

The public consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes ended in March 2010 and includeda consultation on proposed amendments to the Lifetime Homes. These, relatively minor,changes have been recommended by a technical working group and aim to clarify accessarrangements and dimensional requirements. The requirement for level thresholds is relaxed incertain areas (for instance balconies) where dimensional co-ordination with large thicknessesof insulation may be a problem in the future with the introduction of the Fabric EnergyEfficiency Standard (FEES).


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Secured by Design


Secured by Design is a crime prevention initiative that encourages good practice in the design

and layout of buildings to reduce the opportunity for crime and increase the perception ofsafety in new development.

The standard acknowledges that good design must be the aim of all those involved in thedevelopment process and should be encouraged everywhere. The background document tothe 2004 edition refers to government planning policy which identifies community safety as anintegral part of the design agenda, referring to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (PPG3), whichcalled upon local planning authorities to:

promote design and layouts which are safe and take account of public health, crimeprevention and community safety considerations.

Secured by Design was updated in 2009 to align with and compliment the Code forSustainable Homes. The standard is owned by the Association of Chief Police Officers(ACPO).

Policy Weighting

The HCA refers to Secured by Design in the Design and quality standards, April 2007, used inthe assessment of Housing Grant for the 2008-2011 National Affordable Housing Programme.Schemes must reflect the advice obtained from local police architectural liaison officers/crimeprevention design advisors (CPDA) and wherever possible obtain secured by designaccreditation. Award applications area assessed by the crime prevention design advisor.


The 2009 standard is divided into two parts, the first, Design Solutions, considers the layout ofstreets and relationship of estate planning to crime. The second part, Preferred Specifications,contains detailed requirements for the security aspects of windows doors, locks and the likeand is not concerned with housing design.

Design Solutions emphasizes the definition of ownership and advocates the layout of roadsand footpaths on a cul-de-sac, non-permeable, basis (Part 1 Section 3.0 Through Roads andCul-de-sacs). Detailed issues such as seating planting and lighting are also considered butthese are not relevant to dwelling space standards.

Two sections consider the orientation and layout of buildings. Section 11 advises on theposition of dwelling frontages and advocates a mix of dwellings to improve potential for homesto be occupied throughout the day.

Section 16 gives advice on the position of parking. Communal parking is generallydiscouraged but where necessary small groups must be within view from routinely occupiedrooms of owners premises. This has a bearing on the disposition of parking across the siteand to a small degree the layout of dwellings relating living spaces to a view of parking andproviding natural surveillance in the public realm.


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Building for Life

The purpose of the Standard

Building for Life promotes design excellence and celebrates (through awards) best practice in

the house building industry. Building for Life assessments score the design quality of plannedor completed housing developments against the 20 Building for Life criteria. Anyone can do aninformal assessment but formal assessments, now required by several agencies, can only becarried out by an accredited Building for Life assessor.

Assessments are completed against all of the 20 Building for Life criteria.

Each criterion can be scored 1, 0.5 or 0.- Score of 1 - Awarded where there is sufficient evidence that the design meets the

criterion- Score of 0.5 - Awarded where a specific part of the design meets this criterion, but

another does not.

-Score of 0 - Awarded where there is not enough evidence that the criterion will be met,or where the evidence makes it clear the criterion will not be met

Building for Life scores fall in to the following grades:- 16 or more Very good (Gold Standard)- 14 - 15.5 Good (Silver Standard)- 10 - 13.5 Average- 9.5 or fewer Poor

Policy Weighting

The HCA uses Building for Life in the following situations:

- Applicants for National Affordable Housing Programme grants should demonstrate thattheir proposal meets at least 12 criteria

- Design teams proposing residential development on HCA land Property andRegeneration (P+R) programme should demonstrate that their proposal meets at least14 criteria.

NAHP funding: The HCA does not require an accredited BfL assessment with the submissionof the NAHP bid, however it is recommended that bidders should submit a design statementwhich demonstrates how each of the Building for Life criteria will be addressed. Following thesubmission of the NAHP bid, the HCA may ask for an accredited assessment of the

development proposal. If the HCA agrees to provide grant support for the scheme proposed,the development will be subject to the standard impact audit regime. As such it may be subjectto an on-site Building for Life assessment.

P+R Programme: The HCA does not require an accredited BfL assessment with thesubmission of the NAHP bid, however it is recommended that bidders should submit a designstatement which demonstrates how each of the Building for Life criteria will be addressed. It isa requirement that any development through the P+R programme should be entered into theBuilding for Life awards when it is at least fifty per cent complete.

Use in CLG Annual Monitoring Reports: All regional and local planning bodies must submit anannual monitoring report to CLG with reference to core output indicators: a set of standard

measures used by planning authorities to complete these reports. In July 2008 CLG publisheda set of revised core output indicators that introduced Building for Life as the indicator ofhousing quality (Indicator H6).


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Annual monitoring returns indicate the number and proportion of total new build completions ofhousing sites reaching very good, good, average and poor ratings against the Building for Lifecriteria. Monitoring returns will include any housing site which involves at least ten completeddwellings (available for use), including phases of large developments where they are to becounted in that year as net additional completions.

Spatial Scale of Implementation

The Building for Life standard benchmarks developments across a range of indicators relatingto suitability of tenure and type; the quality of the public realm; and the design and performanceof the dwellings.


Building for Life was formally launched in September 2001 with a commitment to the following

aims:- Celebrating best practice in home and neighbourhood design;- Understanding the needs and aspirations of home buyers; and- Identifying the barriers to good design and campaigning to remove them

From the process of selecting case studies for the website, a set of questions was produced to judge the quality of new housing development. These questions were published by apartnership of CABE, the Home Builders Federation HBF and Design for Homes as theBuilding for Life criteria in July 2003.

In 2005, CABE published a flip-chart guide, listing and explaining the Building for Life criteriaand their application in more detail. Drafted in close consultation with the Home BuildersFederation, the guide was published in November 2005 under the title Delivering great Placesto Live: 20 questions you need to answer. The criteria guide is one of the publications mostfrequently downloaded from the CABE and Building for Life websites, and has been updatedregularly to keep in step with the policy context. An further guidance document entitledEvaluating Housing Proposals step by step was published via the Building for Life website in2007.


An accredited Building for Life assessment will be based on the professional expertise and judgment of the assessor, and will evaluate the scheme in terms of current best practice,

relevant local and national policy frameworks, and other current standards in use in housing,such as the Code for Sustainable Homes (Criterion 5), Secure by Design (Criterion 15) and theLifetime Homes standard (Criterion 18).

Space standards:Aspects of fitness for purpose, e.g. good space standards and adequate daylighting andventilation are addressed through Criterion 17: Architectural Quality. Accredited assessors willscrutinize floor plans for fitness for purpose, and check schemes for any over-reliance onsingle-aspect orientation.

Accommodation and Tenure Mix:Suitability of accommodation and tenure is assessed under Criteria 2 and 3. Accredited

assessors will scrutinise the available evidence to gain an understanding of the proposeddevelopments appropriateness of response to the local housing policy context.


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In order to achieve a full score against these criteria, evidence would ideally make reference tothe local housing needs assessment. Reference could also be made to the processes ofcommunity consultation or demographic profiling which may have informed the formulation ofthe mix.

Sustainability:Accredited assessors will scrutinise the available evidence to gain an understanding of theproposed developments performance against the Code for Sustainable Homes. Schemesmeeting the current level of expectation (e.g. CSH level 3) would generally gain a score of 1point against Criterion 5, whereas schemes exceeding the current level of expectation (e.g.CSH level 4-6) would gain a point against criterion 5 and an additional score of 1 point againstcriterion 20.

Highways and Street Design:Accredited assessors will scrutinise the available evidence to gain an understanding of theproposed developments appropriateness of response to guidance set out in the Manual forStreets.

Safety:Accredited assessors will scrutinise the available evidence to gain an understanding of theproposed developments regard for adequate safety and overlook in the public realm. Evidencemay include the comments of the Architectural Liaison Officer assessing the scheme againstthe Secure by Design standard.

Adaptability:The adaptability of homes is addressed under Criterion 18. In the first instance, accreditedassessors will scrutinise the available evidence to gain an understanding of the schemesperformance against the Lifetime Homes standard. Where the Lifetime Homes standard is notmet in full, other aspects of the design of the dwellings will be taken into account in order toevaluate the flexibility of the accommodation on offer.

Likely Changes

CABE is entering the final year of a three-year programme to establish a national network ofaccredited assessors for Building for Life, with a commitment to training at least one assessorin each local planning authority in England by 2011. To date, around 180 accredited assessorsare in place in planning authorities. The accredited assessors work to a code of conduct andare subject to a CABE programme of quality assurance and support.

In the process of gaining accreditation, assessors working in local planning authorities areasked to map the 20 Building for Life criteria against the relevant national policy documents(such as PPS and PPS3 etc.), as well as against relevant local policies and guidance (e.g. theLDF and related SPG). The evaluation of any scheme against the 20 Building for Life criteriawill be undertaken in the context of the relevant policy frameworks in place at the time ofassessment.


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Building Regulations Approved Documents

It is widely supposed that the Building Regulations do not directly impact housing design orinternal space standards. There are no minimum room or dwelling sizes, however, theregulations influence decisions over dwelling layouts and internal space allocations. The

headings below briefly summarise the main areas of relevance:

Part B Fire

The means of escape provisions set maximum escape distances that limit the overall size ofdwellings, especially flats, where there is only one point of exit. The requirements for enclosingstaircases and corridors in fire-resisting construction mean that options for innovations in layoutare limited. There is a possibility that in future revisions of the Building Regulations sprinklersystems may be made compulsory. If that happens, there may be greater freedom to developnew internal layouts and the amount of space dedicated to circulation may reduce.

Part L Conservation of Fuel and Power

As already noted under the CfSH section, there is an indirect relationship between therequirements to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and the overall form and size of dwellings.This relationship will become more important as further changes to Part L are introduced thisyear, in 2013 and in 2016 (including the proposed introduction of the Energy EfficiencyStandard).

Part M Access

The provisions for ambulant disabled access to dwellings contained in Part M of the buildingregulations largely reflect much of the good practice guidance contained within LifetimeHomes. This includes minimum sizes for circulation and provision of accessible WCs on theground floor of the dwelling.


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