Title
Recommendations for Living at Superdensity
Year published
2007
Authors
Andrew Beharrell, Teresa Borsuk, Ben Derbyshire, Steve Newman, David Levitt, Gary Tidmarsh, Barry Munday, Simon Kaplinksy, Andy von Bradsky, David Birkbeck
Foreword
Peter Bishop
Published by
Design for Homes
The original 2007 report: Recommendations for Living at Superdensity
This report was produced in the hope of influencing the Mayor’s Housing Strategy. It is the work of four of London’s major consultants specialising in residential development – HTA, Levitt Bernstein, PRP and Pollard Thomas Edwards architects. Normally rivals, they are collaborating because they are all seeking answers to the same question – how to design for the opportunities and risks posed by the shift towards much higher density housing.
The practices have compared notes on their work in progress, first to propose and define a new ‘superdensity’ threshold of 150 homes to the hectare. They have also pooled knowledge to assess how this threshold is being crossed with schemes of even higher density: these schemes reach levels of density which, despite 120 years’ experience in housing collectively, these practices have rarely encountered.
Design for London welcomes this report on understanding how we can design successful high density developments, and in particular how we can respond to the challenge of providing good family housing as we build at increasingly higher densities. We particularly commend the authors for bringing together and addressing a series of difficult and complex issues, from the provision of outdoor space, access to local facilities and decent space in the home, to how we procure, deliver and manage new housing developments.”
“
Peter Bishop, Director, Design for London
