Future Home Report

Sustaining the future – more than half of consumers want homes of the future to be built with environmentally-friendly materials

Building Products Index Ltd June 25, 2019 Doors, PVC-U, PVC-U, Windows Leave a Comment

New research has revealed that more than half of consumers believe it is important that their home is made using environmentally-responsible materials.

Conducted by Eurocell plc, the UK’s leading manufacturer, distributor and recycler of PVC-U window, door, conservatory and roofline systems, the research looked into consumer attitudes towards sustainable building.When asked about their preferred sustainability features, consumers identified double/triple glazing as the most appealing (58%), followed by solar panels (35%), energy efficient appliances (34%) and the use of recycled and sustainable building products (22%).

One of the key drivers behind this trend is the implementation of sustainability features by developers, which are regularly being incorporated into housebuilding voluntarily rather than as a result of legislation.

Explaining this trend, Steve Marshall, Architect Director and Head of Housing at BDP commented: “Some of our local authority clients like to be seen as leading the way and pushing standards when it comes to sustainability. They need to be seen to be doing the right thing and as such will go above and beyond minimum requirements. It might take time for this to impact the standards that others build to, but this may happen as buyers start to ask why the council is offering something that private developers are not.”

Whilst housing developers are pushing this trend currently, a group of architects presented with these statistics believe that consumer and tenant demand is likely to be a driver for sustainable development in the future. Despite this increased awareness it was highlighted by the architects that, for homes to become more sustainable, consumers need more education on what sustainability actually means in housing.

James Roberts, Project Architect at SimpsonHaugh, said: “It comes down to what is tangible. People understand the concept of double glazing and smart meters, for example. However, if you look at the sustainability credentials of the materials used, or how air tight a home is, these are less tangible yet can have an equally significant impact on how sustainable a home is. As such, willingness to invest in some ‘sustainable design features’ is likely to increase as the public’s understanding of them does. Some they will already be investing in, without appreciating it.”

What’s clear is that sustainability means different things to different people across the housebuilding industry. As such it is critical that the sector works to both understand, and meet, the expectations of future homeowners – especially as they become increasingly educated in this area.

You can see all of Eurocell’s findings from the survey in the Future Home Report which can be downloaded in full here https://www.eurocell.co.uk/whitepaper

Assessing the viability of embedded technology in homes of the future

Building Products Index Ltd March 27, 2019 Doors, PVC-U, PVC-U, Windows Leave a Comment

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Smart home assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home Assistant are now widely used in homes across the UK. Coupled with the explosion in smart home devices – ranging from smart door bells to internet connected fridges – many home owners and renters are now envisaging a time where their smart devices won’t clutter their shelves and tables but will instead be embedded within the design of their homes.

This ‘smart home’ aspiration was highlighted in a recent survey conducted by Eurocell plc. where more than half (53%) of respondents said they were interested in having technology-enabled products in the build of their home. A further 24% said they plan to invest in smart technology in their existing property in the near future, while 18% identified integrated technology as one of their top three design trends.

As consumers’ appetite for technology grows, it is likely that the desire amongst home owners or occupiers to see the homes of the future designed with technology in-built, will only get stronger. However, while consumer demand for a smart or internet connected home, is strong, the viability of such homes being constructed is less evident. When the survey responses were analysed by a panel of experts, concerns were raised around the practicalities of the construction sector responding to these consumer aspirations for a home with smart technology embedded within the design.

Architects at leading studios Hawkins Brown, SimpsonHaugh and BDP, as well as property developer The High Street Group, analysed the findings, with the panel being in agreement that, while smart homes will certainly continue to develop, making it an embedded design feature would not be the best use of budget. With technology evolving so quickly the panel highlighted that embedding technology in a home would likely mean that the systems embedded in the house would quickly become ‘dated’ compared to the latest smart tech advancements.

Assessing the consumer feedback Francesca Roberts, Hawkins Brown, commented:“Technology is changing so quickly, to the point that it’s hard to predict what the smart home will look like in 20 years’ time. So much technology these days is wireless anyway, so it doesn’t necessarily need embedding.” James Roberts, SimpsonHaugh, added: “Money is better invested in quality architectural design than on embedding fast changing technology.”

In addition to these concerns the survey found that, while many consumers expressed an interest in a smart home, few were willing to pay more for it as a design feature. Indeed only 20% of those who expressed a desire for a smart home were willing to pay more for a home that met this criteria.

As such, it is safe to conclude that whilst technology is desirable for home owners and consumers, the construction sector should carefully evaluate any future plans to respond to that demand.

You can see all of Eurocell’s findings from the survey in the Future Home Report which can be downloaded in full here https://www.eurocell.co.uk/whitepaper

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Let there be (natural) light in the home

Building Products Index Ltd February 28, 2019 Doors, PVC-U, PVC-U, Windows Leave a Comment

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For many home owners and renters natural light is an increasingly key design aspect in making a property a home, with a focus on this design element stemming from increased consumer awareness around the importance of wellbeing. This is influencing all types of building design, leading architects, builders and developers to seek innovative approaches to boost natural light in the home.

The desire for more natural light was highlight in a recent survey conducted by Eurocell plc. 80% of respondents reported that they would like to increase the amount of natural light entering their home; 48% said they would pay more for a home with a greater amount of natural light; and 57% said they would be more likely to buy or rent a home if it had a high amount of natural light.

Architects at leading studios Hawkins Brown, Simpson Haugh and BDP, as well as property developer The High Street Group, discussed the findings, highlighting that regulation vs. design vs. cost is the main equation when it comes to natural light. This illustrates that, while everyone would like to have more light in their homes, external factors, such as cost and localised building constraints, cannot always be easily overcome to achieve the goal of maximising it in the home.

So how can housebuilders optimise the amount of natural light in the home, within the constrains that they often face? One approach is the WELL architectural standard. This framework aims to ensure that the designs of the buildings we live in advance human health and wellbeing. The standards are based on seven core concepts of health and hundreds of design features that should be considered.

Maximising the amount of natural light in the home is key to this, as most people feel happier and more uplifted in naturally bright spaces. By incorporating features such as utilising glass in the roof and having bigger windows, housebuilders can ensure that the homes they build meet the demands of the next generation of homeowners.

Over the coming years natural light will be increasingly important to homeowners and renters and those builders that take this into consideration will ensure that interest is generated in future developments and that those moving into the property are happy in their surroundings.

You can see all of Eurocell’s findings from the survey in the Future Home Report which can be downloaded in full here https://www.eurocell.co.uk/whitepaper

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