Delivering Affordable Housing: Design Quality and Standards

How are affordable homes delivered – and how does this affect housing design and quality?

The event brings together housing associations and architects from the North East to discuss how different approaches to delivering affordable housing shape the quality of the homes that are built.

Affordable homes are commonly delivered in two main ways: by housing associations and local authorities either buying land and building homes on it, or by purchasing homes built by private developers as part of planning agreements. Some affordable home are also delivered through community-led projects. Each procurement route creates different opportunities and constraints to influence design quality, raise housing standards, and support long-term value.

This event considers how supply models shape affordable housing projects in practice, and what it takes to provide much needed homes while also investing in better quality homes and placemaking. Housing practitioners and architects will present recent projects and reflect on how delivery routes and funding programmes affect their ability to meet, and sometimes exceed, national and local housing policies, building regulations, and design standards.

This will be followed by a panel discussion on affordable housing in the region and what is needed for housing associations and their partners to continue to improve the design quality and standards of new homes.

A guided tour of the Housing Standardisation: The Architecture of Regulations and Design Standards exhibition will be available at 16.30 for anyone wishing to see the exhibition before the event.

Speakers
Sam Jacoby is a chartered architect, Professor of Architectural and Urban Design Research, Research Lead of the School of Architecture, and Director of the Intergenerational Design Lab at the Royal College of Art. His interdisciplinary work focuses on the social impact of design research, spatial strategies, and architecture. He is principal investigator for the AHRC-funded
project Housing Standardisation: The Architecture of Regulations and Design Standards, exhibited at the Farrell Centre.

Dhruv Sookhoo is a chartered architect, chartered town planner and Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Urbanism at Manchester School of Architecture. He completed a PhD at Newcastle University examining the social practices adopted by architects to negotiate housing quality during development management (ESRC studentship). He is co-lead for the practice-led research project Housing Standardisation in the North East of England with Sam Jacoby. His academic practice is informed by understanding developed as former Chair of the RIBA Housing Expert Advisory Group, Head of Research and Practice Innovation, Metropolitan Workshop, and Head of Design, Home Group.

Stuart Hutchinson is Head of Design and Technical at Thirteen Housing Group, a large housing association based in Teesside delivering over 600 new homes a year. He is an architect with over 35 years’ experience, and collaborates with architects and other design practitioners, developers and housebuilders, to promote good design through a range of approaches, including land led schemes using Thirteen’s own house types or bespoke designs, through to the qualified purchase of new homes from housebuilders as package deals.

Tom Gibbons is a chartered town planner and Principal Town Planner at IDPartnership. He works alongside colleagues comprising of Architects and Urban Designers at IDP to assist both public and private sector clients through the challenges that developments often face navigating the planning system, in particular for residential schemes. His design knowledge and background helps to bridge the gap between design and planning, which is critical to creating high quality and sustainable developments. The majority of Tom’s experience centres around residential developments, in particular the delivery of affordable homes for registered providers.

Katie Shepherd is an architect and urban designer, and Associate Director at P+HS Architects, who brings clarity, insight and a deep commitment to the delivery of high-quality social housing. With a strong emphasis on community impact, she advocates for inclusive, sustainable design solutions that meaningfully enhance people’s lives. A confident and engaging speaker, Katie combines practical expertise with fresh thinking, offering a compelling perspective on shaping resilient, people-centred places.

Daniel Dyer is a chartered architect, and Associate and Yorkshire Lead at the award-winning practice MawsonKerr. He has expertise in sustainable residential design. Focused on ultra-low energy principles, Daniel integrates high-performance building standards with thoughtful, contemporary aesthetics. His expertise in ecological housing ensures that projects prioritize thermal comfort and environmental responsibility, delivering innovative, future-proof homes across the North East and Yorkshire.

Fiona Evans is Housing Delivery Officer at Newcastle City Council, working as a local authority client for several schemes including as lead officer for community-led housing and self-build.  She rejoined Newcastle City Council in 2021, having previously supported landlords and tenants at the local authority’s Private Rented Service. Fiona has gained considerable experience as a property developer and private landlord in a private capacity since 1996.

About the series
The Housing Standardisation events form part of the Housing Standardisation in the North East exhibition at the Farrell Centre. The events are organised by Dr Dhruv Sookhoo and Prof Sam Jacoby, and are supported by the Manchester School of Architecture (AHEAD) and the Royal College of Art (AHRC Impact Acceleration Account and Research Impact Development Scheme).

Image credit: Gresham, Middlesborough courtesy of Andrew Heptinstall Photography