The competition
Design for Manufacture has stimulated industry change, helping to drive efficiencies and Modern Methods of Construction economies of scale, proving that it is possible to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality, and that the approach can be replicated on a wider commercial scale.
The competition is providing a showcase of how to build cost effectively across a range of housing types without sacrificing quality and sustainability standards. The competition winners are expected to engage fully in local and national discussion about their proposals and their wider significance to construction and design policies.
The competition was launched by the government in April 2005 and is run by the national regeneration agency English Partnerships. The 10 new high-quality communities are now in different stages of development on the selected sites.
Competition requirements
There is no requirement to build housing using particular construction supply, procurement, materials or delivery techniques. However, there does need to be evidence that the proposed approaches can be replicated on other sites outside of the competition, providing efficiency gains.
As a minimum, all homes must follow the principles of the Urban Design Compendium published by English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation. The competition brief also includes a requirement to achieve English Partnerships’ policy standard of BREEAM EcoHomes "Very Good".
Housing types
In total, the competition is set to create around 1,200 new homes, an increase of 20 per cent on the original target. The homes are for rent, sale or shared ownership with around 50 per cent available through English Partnerships’ First-Time Buyers' Initiative.
A minimum of 30 per cent of the housing units within the competition will be built to a target cost of £60,000 and the remainder will be larger and smaller units that will be built at an equivalent cost-efficiency. There will be houses and flats to suit families, couples and single people.