Studio\
Woodroffe\Papa\

Guidelines for Delivering High-Quality Family Housing in Central London

We were commissioned to create design guidelines and learning tools for designers, developers, stakeholders and decision-makers involved in the delivery of housing in Hackney. It was intended to improve both the spatial understanding of successful family environments, and the design process needed to deliver them. It aims to explain why fresh thinking is necessary, how the criteria for assessing family housing can be improved through awareness of important spatial qualities, and how a broad range of examples from Europe demonstrate new design directions to respond to Hackney’s challenging conditions.

The guidance could be read in its entirety to improve overall understanding of new directions in family housing design, or it can be treated as a set of discrete examples covering particular criteria of successful family housing, illustrative approaches to improving particular building types, or responding to specific urban conditions.

Our approach was based upon three key understandings. Firstly, that the design of family housing must be considered across several scales and from the perspective of key spatial characteristics, secondly, that the challenge of family housing in Hackney must be met through an improved design process and thirdly, that the use of a graphic language can help reach new understandings and consensus on practical and successful design directions.

Housing Design Guide
UK, London
Client
London Borough of Hackney
Programme
Family and collective housing\
Site area: Borough-wide\
Workscope: Commissioned Study\
Status: Delivered\
Team: Studio Woodroffe Papa\ Lawrence Barth

Guidelines for Delivering High-Quality Family Housing in Central London