Our impact

In simplistic terms, governments have not incentivised developers to provide enough affordable housing in the UK.

Whilst we are not here to debate the pros and cons of current and previous government policy, this remains the principal limiting factor as to why we are building insufficient affordable homes, and why we have an affordable housing crisis. So how can we rise to this challenge given that policy is unlikely to change soon?

Most of our housing is still delivered traditionally, being constructed on-site by trades that are mostly as familiar now as they would have been in Victorian times. Labour accounts for approximately 60% of the construction cost of any home; therefore, if this can be significantly reduced, or in areas eliminated, over time we can drive down construction costs.

High-quality robotic production lines which can repeat processes in a controlled environment, and work 24/7, hold the key to delivering affordable housing solutions using modern methods of construction. The quality of the finished product would be enhanced, waste would be significantly reduced, and the environmental impacts of on-site delivery markedly improved.

Likewise. the typography and space standards of homes need to be reviewed. If we can build high quality micro-homes that facilitate a foothold in to renting or owning a home, then we again begin to drive down the delivery cost and create the opportunity for a new base entry-level to accessing a home

Within the current development regime, developers need to be incentivised to deliver more affordable homes than the minimum viability test currently determines. Planning incentives, training credits and carbon swap initiatives are all areas that could positively impact the future quantum of affordable housing delivery.

Seedling Homes is our innovative MMC solution for the affordable housing crisis, to find out more please contact:

innovate@wardwilliams.uk

Our unique Futures programme provides life-long learning and professional development for people at every stage of their career in the Consult, Construct and Innovate streams of our partnership.

It supports apprentices working through degrees and professional qualifications, as well as supporting seasoned professionals with regular professional and personal development opportunities, leadership training, and challenging external programmes, including the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award scheme.

Ward Williams Futures has now become an award-winning and sought-after point of entry for young people embarking upon their career in the professional construction sector, as well as an incentive for retention for our seasoned professionals.

If you are interested to learn more about Ward Williams Futures, please contact:

futures@wardwilliams.uk

As a sector, we bear a significant responsibility for our impact on the world’s carbon emissions, and in turn the climate change that this causes. We have limited time to reduce these impacts if we hope to maintain global temperature increases in line with the 2019 Paris Climate Accord.

In no particular order, we consider these issues to be key:

• Understanding carbon impacts on development, informing our decision-making in respect of both embodied and operational carbon.
• The importance of re-using and retrofitting existing built assets is critical to our thinking on how to address this challenge, with the added opportunity of bringing vibrancy and viability back to our struggling towns and cities.
• Leveraging the power of collaboration and partnerships from outside our sector to help us innovate and to drive the sustainable changes that are necessary.
• Empowering the generational superpower of young minds, who have the passion and knowledge to help us heal the planet.

We support our clients and delivery partners in understanding these issues from a carbon accounting perspective, balancing a matrix approach which considers construction form, cost, programme, whole-life impact, and the opportunity for offsetting to deliver a Net Zero Carbon approach if desired.

If you want to save carbon or reduce the impact to our climate on your next project, please contact:

sustainabilityadvisory@wardwilliams.uk