Sustainable and affordable housing

A Traditional Housing Bureau product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Oct 3, 2005

Competition to build the GBP60k house, launched by John Prescott's 'Homes for All' strategy, is a test already being achieved by brick and block construction, says the Traditional Housing Bureau.

Competition to build the GBP60k house, launched by John Prescott's 'Homes for All' strategy, is a test already being achieved by brick and block construction, says the Traditional Housing Bureau.

The claim is backed up by national construction and development company Wates, who has recently announced it is currently building dwellings within the specified GBP60k cost using brick and block masonry construction.

Principal design manager for social housing regeneration Andrew Lock comments: "We have many years' historical data on building with masonry construction, well established links with the supply chain and related trades, so we know we can commit to consistency with this method".

"There is not yet a prefabricated alternative delivering without fail on quality or price".

Martin Clarke, Chairman of the THB, comments: "We welcome the Government's competition to build a good quality home for a construction cost of GBP60k as a great opportunity to demonstrate masonry construction is cost-effective and sustainable".

"Sustainability should surely be a long term, holistic resolve, and it is to be hoped that the competition will assess the construction methods proposed on that basis, as well as within the financial parameters".

"In construction costs alone, there may be a number of solutions to delivering the GBP60k house".

"But how many of those methods already have the infrastructure, supply chain and trained workforce for building the necessary quantity of good quality, flexible and cost effective homes? Which other construction method offers intrinsic thermal performance, outstanding acoustic performance and is fundamentally fire resistant and flood resilient? Solid, robust masonry homes offer all of these benefits - and can answer the GBP60k question - with a solution that will last for hundreds of years".