At Ecobuild this year, I participated in a panel discussion with David Lawrence (Managing Director, Flanagan Lawrence) and Phil Jones (Professor, Cardiff University), chaired by Cathy Newman. The session was entitled ‘What does design bring to housing?’ where I argued that good design can make homes more sustainable without increasing expense.

The Government’s Housing Standards Review last year, followed by a bonfire of other green standards has left a huge void in sustainable regulation. We are often asked to design for standardised and crude methodologies, such as Building Regulations Part L, but unfortunately this doesn’t always result in good design, nor does it make our buildings truly sustainable in-use or the spaces healthy for occupants. I do not believe this approach to design assists in improving quality, in fact, I would argue the opposite. It doesn’t have to cost more to build sustainably – it just needs to be designed in from day one.