Home Improvements: Improving quality and value in the provision of volume house building through architectural knowledge exchange

该项目将把以泰勒·温佩比为代表的批量房屋建筑商、建筑环境学术界(由来自爱丁堡、谢菲尔德和金斯顿大学的南北轴线上的学者代表)和中小企业建筑实践聚集在一起，共同开展一个研究项目--一个开发一系列其他2-3个嵌入式项目的框架--其主要目的是改善VHB的供应和合作伙伴之间的知识交流。在这样做的过程中，我们将在一个迫切需要创新的行业中分享良好的实践和新的参与形式。建筑环境可能是现代英国创意经济最普遍的例子，但在这种背景下，人们普遍被忽视和低估。英国建筑业对英国GDP的贡献约为10%。因此，推动这一进程的专业人士的工作对我们的社会至关重要。他们的专业知识反映在强大的全球声誉中，但市场正在萎缩(RIBA建筑期货报告，第39页)。2007年，工党政府宣布了到2020年在英格兰额外建造300万套住房的目标，以帮助应对日益增长的住房需求。与此同时，它建立了到2016年在零碳住宅交付方面成为世界级的框架。根据《加尔各特评论》对房屋建设交付的评论，这将给还没有准备好满足这些需求的行业带来压力(2007年，第7页)。即使在政府更迭之后，批量交付可持续住房的需求也保持不变。地方当局希望住房协会和VHBs等私营部门开发商帮助他们满足这些需求，然而，最近的经济衰退意味着，房屋建筑商比以往任何时候都更难以将成本降至最低。这可能会影响设计质量，正如CABE的研究表明，即使在经济衰退之前(CABE，新住宅的空间，居民的想法，2009)，设计质量就很差。我们的项目重点是改善供应链。《加尔各特评论》指出，VHBs需要与拥有“必要专业知识”的合作伙伴合作，以实现这一目标(2007，第8页)。这就是建筑中小企业实践和学术界的用武之地。在建筑创意行业的中小企业中有大量的研究潜力，但这些实践正受到威胁-他们的传统市场正被大型跨学科企业集团接管(RIBA，Building Futures Report，2010，p.32)。该项目将提供必要的支持，使这些公司能够在更广泛的行业背景下部署他们的创意能量，建立他们的研究基础，并开发新的商业模式。在让中小企业实践获得前沿研究方面，学术界可以发挥重要作用。通过嵌入式研究项目，我们的部门将成为设备和知识的共享资源，从业者和学者可以在这里交流知识，类似于麻省理工学院的‘FabLabs’模式，同时为学术研究人员提供机会在现实世界中测试他们的想法。该项目有三个要素：-通过IDEAS实验室进行知识交流，并通过合作伙伴网络传播由此产生的2-3个嵌入式研究项目。-由建筑中小企业实践和学术界与泰勒·温佩比合作开发的2-3个嵌入式研究项目产生的创新。-通过上述活动和将与RIBA合作进行的住房实践研究审查，发展以实践为基础的研究，通过该研究，我们将能够确定以实践为基础的住房研究的现状。这份检讨报告将作为这方面的研究平台和研究实践指南的框架，这是一系列CPD活动的重点。这些都是扩大项目覆盖范围和改变VHB住房面貌的战略的组成部分。

This project will bring Volume House Builders (represented) by Taylor Wimpey, built environment academia (represented by academics on a North-South axis from Edinburgh, Sheffield and Kingston Universities) and SME architecture practice together on a shared research project - a framework for developing a series of 2-3 other embedded projects - the primary aim of which is improving VHB provision and knowledge exchange across partners. In doing so we will share good practice and model novel forms of engagement across an industry in critical need of innovation.The built environment is perhaps the most ubiquitous example of the creative economy in modern Britain, yet is generally overlooked and undervalued in this context. The UK construction industry contributes around 10% of UK GDP. The work of the professions that drive it is therefore of vital importance to our society. Their expertise is reflected in a strong global reputation but the market is shrinking (RIBA Building Futures Report, p.39). In 2007, the Labour government announced a target of building an extra three million homes in England by 2020 to help deal with the growing demand for houses. At the same time it set up the framework to be world class in the delivery of zero-carbon homes by 2016. According to the Calcutt Review of Housebuilding Delivery this would 'stretch' an industry (2007, p.7) not yet ready for these demands. The need for bulk delivery of sustainable housing remains the same, even after a change of government. Local authorities look to housing associations and private sector developers such as the VHBs to help them achieve these demands however the recent recession means that house builders are struggling more than ever to minimize their costs. This is likely to impact on design quality which, as CABE research has indicated was poor, even before the recession (CABE, Space in New Homes, What Residents Think, 2009 ). Our project focuses on improvements to the supply chain. The Calcutt Review has identified the need for VHBs to work with partners with the 'necessary expertise' to make this happen (2007, p.8). This is where architectural SME practice and academia come in.There is a great deal of, largely unacknowledged, research potential in SMEs in the architectural creative industries, yet these practices are under threat - their traditional market is being taken over by large interdisciplinary conglomerates (RIBA, Building Futures Report, 2010, p.32).The project will provide the necessary support to allow these firms to deploy their creative energy in a wider industry context, to build on their research base and to develop new business models. Academia has an important role to play in giving SME practices access to cutting edge research. Through the embedded research projects our departments will become a shared resource of both equipment and knowledge where practitioners and academics can exchange knowledge, similar to the MIT's model of 'Fablabs', at the same time providing opportunities for academic researchers to test their ideas in a real world setting.There are three elements to the project:- Knowledge Exchange through the Ideas Lab and the 2-3 embedded research projects that emerge from them disseminated through partner networks.- Innovation resulting from the 2-3 embedded research projects developed by architectural SME practice and academia in partnership with Taylor Wimpey.- Development of practice based research through the above activities and through the Housing Practice Research Review to be undertaken, in partnership with the RIBA, through which we will be able to identify the current state of practice based housing research. The report from this review will act as a platform for research in this area and as a framework for a Research Practice Guide, the focus of a series of CPD events.These are the ingredients of a strategy to expand the reach of project and to change the face of VHB housing.