Provision of Standardised Design Approaches Study

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage seeks to appoint a consultancy to deliver the Provision of Standardised Design Approaches Study. This is to align with Priority Action 11 in the Housing for All 2023 Update. Priority Action 11 sets out to: ‘Publish standardised approaches to the design of housing to include the development of standardised dwelling types and standardised specifications, including for building services, with the aim of reducing the cost of construction and supporting MMC adoption.’ The Action is to be delivered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) by Q4 2024. The Action is incorporated into the 2023 Update following its identification as a follow-on action from the Residential Construction Cost Study published in May 2023. The aim of the Provision of Standardised Design Approaches Study is to raise awareness and promote adoption of standardised housing design, building on existing guidance such as the Design Manual for Quality Housing and LDA Apartment Typology Booklet but for a wider application than social housing and with regard to the density ranges set out in the Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlement Guidelines. Its principal deliverable is a written report, the target audience being the construction industry – construction professionals, developers, contractors, specifiers, designers, and manufacturers, educators, and training bodies, clients, including SMEs. This Study will complement actions being undertaken in the Roadmap for Increased Adoption of MMC in Public Housing Delivery, which was published by Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and DHLGH under the MMC Leadership and Integration Group in July 2023. Additionally, it will complement the Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities, which was published by DHLGH in January 2024. A Government/ Industry Steering Group has been formed to provide expert technical advice to DHLGH project managers with agreed Terms of Reference. The scope of the Study is standardised design approaches for new build housing, apartments, duplexes and new typologies, applicable to private and public sector. It is proposed that the Study is to be delivered in 4 Work Stages over 9 months. Up to 7 dwelling types, or 2-3 small building types with a limited mix of dwelling types, are envisaged to be developed into model designs, to include apartment, duplex and house types.