CASE STUDY 9 hoUse CONCEPT BY URBAN SPLASH

Urban Splash were one of the leaders in the 'loft living revolution' of the 1990s but recognised that their customers were often struggling to stay in the city when they needed more space and could only find that in a terraced house in the suburbs.

The UK average 3 bedroom house size is just 796 sqft, contrasting with significantly larger averages in Europe: France: 1,210 sqft, the Netherlands 1,243 sqft and in Denmark 1,475 sqft, and apparently out of sync with the changing needs in modern lifestyles. Urban Splash discovered a consistent consumer demand for more space so developed the hoUSe concept to offer new-build, terraced housing in the city focused entirely around offering greater and more flexible space but embracing a pre-manufactured, customer choice led approach to the product.

hoUSe, New Islington, Manchester

Following a 3-step design process customers are asked to choose whether they would like either 1,000 sqft or 1,500 sqft of space plus private outdoor space for parking and gardens. They are then asked how they like to live i.e. upstairs or downstairs, and then how they would like to use the space, i.e. open-plan or with more private areas.

The hoUSe concept offers customers the chance to design their own home within a professionally guided process and guarantees a property at least 25% larger than the current national average for a new-build house in the UK.

On completion of design, the hoUSe is built in a dedicated factory where craftsmanship and design quality is key, before being delivered to site. The ambition is to increase both the scale and typologies of buildings being offered to market.