Sustainable Small Sites: A Developer & Builders Guide
< Back to ProjectsThe Sustainable Small Sites: Developer & Builders Guide brings together advice and insights on the delivery of sustainable homes on London’s small sites. It was commissioned by the GLA in support of its Small Sites, Small Builders programme – a Community-Led Housing Hub to provide opportunities to share learning and expertise and a presumption in favour of development on small sites, as set out inthe Mayor of London’s draft London Plan. The research and publication of the guide was funded and supported by the GLA and delivered by Root & Branch.
Root & Branch is a collaboration with the GLA, Collective Works, Gbolade Design Studio, Olga Turner and Jenny Leahy.
R&B have developed a guide for the Small Sites Small Builders programme, with the intention to offer sustainable prompts on sustainability and health and wellbeing for both SME residential developers and SME Builders/ Contractors.
To understand the issues at hand, a round table of small developers, builders and design consultants was convened to explore the challenges and opportunities for sustainability on small sites, and capture relevant advice. This discussion shaped the ideas and approach of the guide and quotes from the round table are included throughout.
The publication provides accessible guidance on delivering sustainable housing on the many small sites in London where sustainable development is needed, but tough to deliver. By following the expert insights within, we can help shape a greener, more resilient London.
Small sites
Within the London Plan, a small site is defined as a site that is up to 0.25 hectares in area.
Identifying levers for change
Research from the Halifax shows that the most energy efficient homes are worth up to £40,000 more than those with lower EPCs. There is a proven demand for more sustainable, healthier homes.
Following the round table, we illustrated the current system of small sites delivery in order to better understand the flow of information, regulation and capital. We then considered what levers for change exist within the system, and how these could be applied.
The Developer and Builders Guide suggests how sustainable principles can be adopted, and identifies prompts for actions at each of the RIBA Plan of Work stages.
These prompts range from: identifying a project sustainability champion at Stage 0, to incentivising supply chains to be more sustainable at Stage 3, getting your contractors on boards with the sustainability targets at stage 5 and providing user manuals for the homes at Stage 7.
Case studies
Building Sustainably on small sites is possible. Throughout the guide are examples of projects that act as inspiration and provocation from many of those involved in the round table.
Download a copy of the guide
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