Journal

What I love about the Housing Design Awards (HDAs) is the focus on the OUTCOMES rather than the OBJECT.

This is baked into the awards’ roots. As David Birkbeck noted at yesterday’s awards ceremony, the Housing Design Awards was established by Nye Bevan in 1948 to address health issues resulting from poor quality housing stock.

The judging might seem like a bit of a jolly, but the truth is it’s exhausting. The multi-disciplinary cross-industry judging panel goes through a rigorous process, travelling the length and breadth of the country to get under the skin of every shortlisted project and going out of their way to talk in depth to the people who live there.

At this time of year architects wrestle with the Stirling Prize shortlist. Questioning what constitutes the best building, what an architecture award is for and what qualities should be rewarded. In contrast, the HDA are clear about what they value; sustainability, empowerment, uplifting environments, positive health and wellbeing outcomes, social cohesion and great places.

It isn’t coincidence that the HDA bestows recognition equally on the client, planning authority, architect and contractor. It acknowledges that great projects aren’t crafted by a single hand but are the result of collaboration between numerous parties.

In a world where our homes are commodified, the HDA looks for more. It surely isn’t a coincidence then, that of the eleven winners, seven are either council or co-housing schemes where the client is seriously invested in the quality, longevity and community benefits of their projects.

Great housing has the power to transform lives. The eleven winning projects all demonstrate that. Particular mention should go to the overall winner Hazelmead. This development of 54 homes by Bridport Cohousing with Barefoot Architects is a wonderful community which is the crystallisation of an extraordinary effort of local people to build their own homes. It’s taken 17 years of hard work but the result is worth it. It’s a demonstration that great housing doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs thought and care. The question is how do we make housing like this the norm, rather than the exception. It needs to be easier and quicker for people to come together to build homes they love.

As Barefoot Architects principle, Sam Goss, says;

“Hazelmead is a housing project addressing many of the crises of our time so why don’t we have a cohousing project in every town, city and village in the UK?”

Why indeed?