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

该项目将汇集由Taylor Wimpey代表的Volume House Builders、建筑环境学术界（由爱丁堡大学、谢菲尔德大学和金斯顿大学的南北轴线上的学者代表）和SME建筑实践共同参与一个共享研究项目-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的提供和合作伙伴之间的知识交流。在这样做的过程中，我们将分享良好的做法，并在一个急需创新的行业中建立新的参与形式。建筑环境可能是现代英国创意经济最普遍的例子，但在这种情况下通常被忽视和低估。英国建筑业贡献了英国GDP的10%左右。因此，推动这一进程的专业人员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年实现世界级零碳住宅的框架。根据Calcutt的房屋建筑交付评论，这将“拉伸”一个行业（2007年，第7页）还没有准备好这些需求。即使在政府更迭之后，批量交付可持续住房的需求仍然不变。地方当局希望住房协会和VHB等私营部门开发商帮助他们实现这些需求，但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将成本降至最低。这可能会影响设计质量，正如CABE研究所指出的那样，即使在经济衰退之前，设计质量也很差（CABE，新家园的空间，居民的想法，2009）。我们的目标是改善供应链。《Calcutt评论》指出，VHB需要与具有“必要专业知识”的合作伙伴合作，以实现这一目标（2007年，第8页）。这就是建筑中小企业实践和学术界的用武之地。在建筑创意产业中，中小企业有大量的研究潜力，但这些潜力在很大程度上未得到承认，但这些实践正受到威胁--它们的传统市场正被大型跨学科企业集团所接管（RIBA，《建筑未来报告》，2010年，第32页）。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其创造力，建立他们的研究基础，开发新的商业模式。学术界可发挥重要作用，使中小企业能够获得最先进的研究成果。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，从业者和学者可以交流知识，类似于麻省理工学院的“Fablabs”模型，同时为学术研究人员提供机会，在真实的世界环境中测试他们的想法。该项目有三个要素：- 通过创意实验室和通过伙伴网络传播的2-3个嵌入式研究项目进行知识交流。由建筑中小企业实践和学术界与Taylor Wimpey合作开发的2-3个嵌入式研究项目带来的创新。通过上述活动和与RIBA合作开展的住房实践研究审查，发展基于实践的研究，通过这些活动，我们将能够确定基于实践的住房研究的现状。本次审查的报告将作为该领域研究的平台，并作为研究实践指南的框架，这是一系列CPD活动的焦点。这些都是扩大项目范围和改变VHB住房面貌的战略的要素。

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.