In this Q&A, architect Chris Wilkins discusses open-market and social housing development, among other topics. With architecture in his blood, there was never any other career path for Chris Wilkins. Little did he know that he would go on to work on several landmark projects covering both social and market rate housing – and all without becoming a professor in mathematics or science! We sat down with him to talk about communities, sustainability and much more.
My dad worked in an architectural practice for many years until he retired so there was inspiration there – although he often stressed what a hard industry it is. I also loved drawing from a very young age – I still do! I always assumed I’d have to be great at maths and physics to do this for a living but I’d say that building up a good portfolio is more important for any prospective architecture students thinking of embarking on an architecture degree – the ability to communicate through drawing, making and conversation the most useful of skills to develop. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to spend a lot of my time in practice drawing and somehow getting paid for it!
Yes! At 39 years old I still do a lot of hand drawing, especially in the early conceptual design phases. I find there is a clarity that comes from sketching out ideas directly with pen and paper that can get filtered out when using CAD software. Hand drawing allows for a more intuitive exploration of concepts. I find it’s a useful tool to be able to hand draw concepts in a meeting and explore possibilities with clients. I’m hopeful that with the advent of AI, hand drawing is a skill that won’t be lost.
The core principles of creating good communities, where children can play safely in our streets, residents feel safe and secure in their homes and our architecture prioritises the health, well-being and happiness of homeowners are common themes across everything we do. However, social housing clients such as local authorities tend to emphasise the build quality and placemaking aspects more strongly since they will be managing the homes and communities long-term. With market-rate housing, the financial model often constrains investments in more generous community spaces.
I like a mix of project types. Open market housing has given us ways of working and efficiencies that can be applied to make social housing schemes more financially resilient and able to incorporate more placemaking elements. Community-led housing models like community land trusts strike a nice balance, strongly centred on the needs of local people.
Consultation is key. Early engagement to understand any potential issues and trying to have empathy with each community member's specific concerns. We also try to emphasise the public benefit new housing can bring to existing residents and communities through improvements to amenities like parks and pedestrian connectivity, ecology and biodiversity.
In Wales, we have a ‘Placemaking Charter’ which is run by the Design Commission for Wales, focused on creating strong communities and well-designed public spaces. The Charter outlines six placemaking principles that cover the range of considerations that contribute to establishing and maintaining good places, for example, people and community, public realm and movement. These all help demonstrate the value of a project to the wider community.
Fostering community becomes even more paramount in these instances, with outdoor circulation spaces, amenities that draw people out of their homes, and internal layouts that offer visual connections to the public realm all key design concerns. Health and wellbeing of residents is of particular importance in our design decisions. Promoting dual aspect units with natural cross ventilation and ample daylight can create healthier environments that inspire activity, connect to their surroundings and the changing light of days and seasons, sadly lacking in some later living schemes of the past we often visit, with dark, overheated single-loaded corridors of times gone by.
Multi-generational engagement and social connectivity is key. In Pershore, Worcestershire, we designed a housing development for older residents adjacent to a popular walking route used by children on their way home from school. We were mindful of the importance of community integration, so we carefully planned our design to accommodate the existing walking route through the middle of the development. This allowed the residents to see and hear the children passing by, fostering a sense of connection with the wider community. Additionally, we incorporated a new gathering space within the development, intended to serve as a meeting point for the school pupils, nursery children and our residents. Our goal was to create a multi-generational spirit in the area, where older residents could feel part of the vibrant community around them.
At the concept stage, orienting buildings for optimum passive solar gain, avoiding overheating, while also responding to site constraints and creating a cohesive urban design was challenging. There were also difficulties sourcing certain Passivhaus building components and systems with the necessary warranties for our local authority client. There is also the challenge of educating new residents in how to live in their new homes that maybe don’t respond like a ‘normal’ house with the typical heating and cooling systems. Post-occupancy research will help monitor this transition and feedback valuable information to us and the client group.
There is a lot, not just in terms of changing legislation, but with our own ambitions as a practice to be at the forefront of designing for a changing climate, responding to the retrofit agenda, embodied carbon etc. As a practice it is incumbent on us to stay on top of it all. We’ve been doing a lot of training recently around the Building Safety Act and our responsibilities as principal designers.
I think one of the main areas for us is the changing role of architects in delivering homes that bring together communities and are community led. There’s a lot more to consider now than there ever was before, especially with the climate agenda at the forefront, the environmental performance of a building: the goalposts are constantly changing but ultimately, the built environment is about designing good places and buildings for people, whether individuals or communities but within a context that is ever more global.
Visit www.pentan.co.uk to find out more about Chris and his work.
