The Housing Design Handbook

Everyone deserves a decent and affordable home, a truth (almost) universally acknowledged. But housing in the UK has been in a state of crisis for decades, with too few homes built, too often of dubious quality, and costing too much to buy, rent or inhabit. It doesn’t have to be like this. Bringing together a wealth of experience from a wide range of housing experts, this completely revised edition of The Housing Design Handbook provides an authoritative, comprehensive and systematic guide to best practice in what is perhaps the most contentious and complex field of architectural design. This book sets out design principles for all the essential components of successful housing design – including placemaking, typologies and density, internal and external space, privacy, security, tenure, and community engagement – illustrated with case studies of schemes by architecture practices working across the UK and continental Europe. Written by David Levitt and Jo McCafferty – two recognised authorities in the field – and with contributions from more than twenty other leading practitioners, The Housing Design Handbook is an essential reference for professionals and students in architecture and design as well as for government bodies, housing associations and other agencies involved in housing.

Modular construction has the potential to improve housing quality, speed up delivery and reduce building costs – so why isn’t everyone doing it? This practical handbook combines real-world advice on designing modular housing with a compelling argument for off-site construction as a means for architects taking a greater role and achieving more influence in their housing projects. Focusing on the benefits as well as the challenges of modular construction, this book illustrates that off-site construction need not act as a design constraint and can in fact provide an opportunity for greater design impact. Richly illustrated with recent case studies and featuring over 100 photographs of exemplar projects, The Modular Housing Handbook provides inspiration as well as timely, practical advice.

The Wheelchair Housing Design Guide explains how to design and detail a home that is fully manageable by wheelchair users and maximises their independence. This fully-updated, activity-based guide discusses design considerations, requirements and recommendations for various activities carried out within the home; provides design solutions and good practice examples of how to comply with the building accessibility regulations and Building Regulations Part M; reflects and promotes the values and principles of existing strategies for social inclusion, and promotes the long-term cost benefits of designing to wheelchair accessibility standards.

“Longer lifespans and the needs of the oldest old are challenging the senior living industry to find bold and compassionate solutions to combine programs and services with housing. Victor Regnier's latest research provides a thoughtful and insightful roadmap that arrays new ways of thinking from small-scale settings to community based options. International case studies offer possible solutions with the best thinking from around the globe…all with Vic's unique perspective of extracting themes and concepts that are broadly applicable and essential to addressing the needs of those that live on life's fragile edge.” —David Hoglund, FAIA “Supporting the independence of the oldest-old is a tough problem Victor Regnier addresses in his latest book on aging and housing. Like previous work, Victor relies on the best practices of northern Europeans to outline a three-prong approach. First, providing extremely comprehensive home care services in an "apartment for life" setting. Second, reforming the conventional nursing home by exploring small group style accommodations. Third, combining new technology with community based services to age in place. Case studies document the experiences of others in making these programs work here and abroad. The magnitude of the 90+ and 100+ population increases in the next 50 years make it clear how important it is to address this concern today.” —Edward Steinfeld Darch “The movement of health care from the institution to the home is a theme that Regnier identifies as one of the most important lessons in rethinking the issue of how to support the ever growing and increasingly aged older population here and abroad. He examines simple but profound approaches we can take in making long-term care a more humane proposition. Familiar themes like humanizing technology and optimizing the impact of the natural environment are brought together with clear policy thinking about what we need to do. The timing is good because the impact of this growing segment of society will have major repercussions on health care for the next 50-70 years.” —Stephan Verderber, Ph.D. A comprehensive guide to designing housing for the world’s aging population The dilemma of helping older people maintain their independence through better housing with services is growing. This book presents innovative solutions for those who create and provide housing for the world’s increasingly longer-living population. By focusing on three specific housing and service arrangements, it offers alternatives that provide greater freedom of choice than the current living arrangements that exist today. It presents selected examples of housing and service solutions from the US, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands to stimulate thinking about the possibilities of community-based service models. Housing Design for an Increasingly Older Population looks at a trio of options for housing the “oldest-old:” the Dutch Apartment/Condo for Life Model (AFL); decentralized Small/Green Houses; and the provision of enhanced personal and health care for people who want to stay in their own home. It offers unique and eye-opening chapters covering: what older people want; what age changes affect independence; demographics and living arrangements; how long-term care is defined; concepts and objectives for housing the frail; care giving and management practices that avoid an institutional lifestyle; innovative case studies; programs that encourage staying at home with service assistance; therapeutic use of outdoor spaces; how technology will help people stay independent; and more. Based on the author’s numerous conversations with other experts, as well as his examinations of high quality settings from Northern Europe and the US Building case study examples showcase innovative and compassionate solutions In-depth coverage of three major systems that work Examines successful programs such as PACE, Friendly Cities, NORC, and the “Village to Village Network” to demonstrate the progress made in helping older, frail people stay in their own homes for as long as possible Housing Design for an Increasingly Older Population: Redefining Assisted Living for the Mentally and Physically Frail is an important book for those who create, design, and manage assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, as well as for those who set policies regarding health, and personal care for our world’s aging society.

THE URBAN HOUSING HANDBOOK An insightful and revealing look at the intersection of housing and urban design In the newly revised Second Edition of The Urban Housing Handbook, Eric Firley and Victor Deupi deliver a vital design and analysis tool for housing practitioners, students, and researchers. The book outlines the characteristics of 30 of the most notable housing types from around the world, studied against a background of increasing densification. Each of the 30 chapters includes a fully-explored tradi tional example followed by one or two contemporary projects of similar spatial configuration that address changing trends in architecture and urban design. For this latest edition all contemporary examples have been updated and are now presented on two full spreads per chapter. Other features include: A rigorous analytical method that classifies the types according to four main categories (courtyard houses, row houses, compounds and apartment buildings) A thorough introduction to the relationship between an individual housing unit and the urban fabric that it creates through repetition A strong focus on dense metropolitan projects from around the world A set of key figures that translate visual information into metrics Unique, original drawings of illustrated housing accompanied by aerial and street-level context photos Conceived for architects and urban designers, The Urban Housing Handbook is also an ideal resource for urban planners, housing developers, builders, and housing trust professionals.

“[A] much needed book both for homeowners who want a beautiful and well proportioned house and for the professionals who help them to realize that dream.” —Sarah Susanka, FAIA, architect and author of The Not So Big series and Home by Design Even as oversized McMansions continue to elbow their way into tiny lots nationwide, a much different trend has taken shape. This return to traditional architectural principles venerates qualities that once were taken for granted in home design: structural common sense, aesthetics of form, appropriateness to a neighborhood, and even sustainability. Marianne Cusato, creator of the award–winning Katrina Cottages, has authored and illustrated this definitive guide to what makes houses look and feel right—to the eye and to the soul. She teaches us the language and grammar of classical architecture, revealing how balance, harmony, and detail all contribute to creating a home that will be loved rather than tolerated. And she takes us through the dos and don’ts of every element of home design, from dormers to doorways to columns. Integral to the book are its hundreds of elegant line drawings—clearly rendering the varieties of lintels and cornices, arches and eaves, and displaying “avoid” and “use” versions of the same elements side by side. “This ‘Rosetta stone’ of design will guarantee Cusato a place in the history of twenty-first century American architecture.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer “[Cusato] provides a vision of how we live together and build on our planet, and points out the consequences of flawed building practices not only to our environment, but to our spirit and our soul.” —Michael Lykoudis, Dean, University of Notre Dame School of Architecture

This handbook encapsulates much of BRE's expertise relating to the design of housing, and is addressed to all owners, designers and maintainers of housing stock. It provides a reference manual of basic information on housing, whether new or refurbished. It is intended to help clients, contractors, developers and all involved in housebuilding, in both the private and public sectors, to appreciate the wide range of user requirements that must be addressed in the design of housing. As a reference book it provides a means of checking that housing design criteria have been met adequately. It also suggests how to achieve customer satisfaction by meeting their most important needs.