Sterling prize, 25 October 2019 Congratulations to Cathy Hawley and Mikhail Riches on their Goldsmith Street scheme winning the 2019 Sterling prize. It is encouraging that an environmentally and socially sustainable housing scheme is being championed. References RIBA 2019 Sterling Prize Cathy Hawley Mikhail Riches
Reducing carbon in the construction industry is a vitally important task. It is a complex issue as all processes and elements of the build environment need to be considered. The manufacture of building materials, their transportation, installation, use over time and potential redundancy can raise problems in reducing the lifetime carbon component of a development….
Parents in the UK provide £6.3bn to help their children with their mortgages. This make them the 10th biggest provider when measured against other mortgage lenders. According to the Legal & General it is putting many in financial difficulties as parents are using their pensions and savings to help their children. People without the BoMaD…
The recent Santander study on first-time buyer’s views on home ownership and the report by the Guardian shows just how much work needs to be done to provide younger people with hope of, and opportunities to, fulfil their dream of home ownership. Our tenure blind, fixed equity homes are for these very people. We have…
Serpentine Pavilion Visit, 7 July 2019 The 2019 Serpentine Pavilion designed by architect Junya Ishigami is well worth visiting. The heavy slate roof hangs lightly like a leaf about to settle on the ground. The interior space is comforting and as familiar as an embrace. The columns supporting the structure are very slender lending the…
The 06 June 2019 edition of “Savills ProgrammE and Cost Sentiment Survey” shows that construction costs are still very high (and unlikely to go down following Brexit) and sales values for homes are viewed with ever increasing caution. If consequentially land values in London do not come down, we will continue to see a squeeze…
The Government has published a very useful guide on buying a home of your own. If you are thinking of doing so, it is well worth reading, just click on the reference link below to go to their website. It provides a very clear route map of the process, what to do before, during and…
Mix Developments supports integrated communities. Development models should be inclusive in all aspects regardless of economic or perceived social status. We all need to be part of the changes, from early planning to implementation and management – be it as housing providers, statutory authorities, architects or development managers. Affordable housing in all its forms should…
The Financial Conduct Authority’s January Sector View paints a worrying picture for the housing sector’s future. Not only are people born in the 2 decades before the year 2000 finding it more difficult to get onto the housing ladder, the amount they have to borrow in relation to their incomes has increased and the length…
Mix Developments has long campaigned for a more diverse housing market to allow younger people the opportunity to own their own homes. Our housing model specifically provides for this under represented group of people. Home ownership should not be dependent on the wealth or circumstances of parents. References BBC business news
Mix Developments welcomes the PM’s announcement on removing the borrowing cap for Local Authorities for their new affordable housing delivery programs. But will this be enough to fix the housing crisis? To really redress the availability and affordability of homes, we need direct action from statutory bodies to engage with SME affordable housing entities, to…
We were impressed by our tour of the Sutherland Road, Walthamstow affordable housing scheme by Levitt Bernstein architects which shows what can be achieved with considerate design. The scheme includes generous balconies and corridors and a beautifully landscaped communal garden. The car parking is kept to a minimum so that it does not overly impede…