Introducing Danforth + Westlake, a new mixed-use residential project for First Capital, located near Main Street subway, the Danforth GO, as well as bus and streetcar routes. The proposed project, which has been submitted for rezoning, would redevelop the better part of a block along Danforth Avenue between Main and Westlake by updating the existing grocery store and replacing a surface parking lot to offer 80% new commercial space at grade. Two residential buildings — a 35-storey high-rise and 13-storey mid-rise — are connected by an engaging podium and mediate between different densities on either side of the site. Together, they will add 620 new homes to this growing community, with 35% of the units designed for families. The podium scheme deliberately scales down to the neighbourhood with an animated streetwall that strives to mirror the cadence and materiality of Danforth Avenue. Our goal is to strengthen the retail corridor along this major artery and create an asset for the broader community that enhances the public realm experience with fine-grain design at grade, raised bike lanes, new trees, and a POPS space at the east end of the site. We’re excited about this one and grateful to First Capital REIT for bringing us on board! And many thanks to the whole consultant team for everyone’s hard work so far: Bousfields Inc., Janet Rosenberg & Studio, civilGo Engineering Inc., BA Consulting Group Ltd., RWDI, Entuitive, The Mitchell Partnership Inc., ERA Architects Inc., and Cicada Design Inc..

Calling All Architects, Developers, Homebuilders, Housing Associations, And Councils! We’re looking for collaborators who are frustrated by the limitations of traditional housebuilding 🏚️ and a drive to explore better, smarter solutions! At Facit Technologies, we’ve scaled the cutting-edge technology, building system, and microfactories developed through Facit Homes, and we’re now open for business to deliver multi-unit developments across the UK. We’re now looking for projects……If you’re working on a project and want to build faster, more affordably, and with greater quality, let’s talk! 🚀 Here’s what we’re looking for:  ✅  Sites or developments featuring 15-30+ homes 🏘️ , either standalone or part of a larger project. ✅ A commitment to delivering high-quality, sustainable homes that stand out.  ✅ A focus on medium to higher density living via the terrace, townhouses, maisonette typologies. ✅ A desire to innovate by building with our proven on-site manufacturing technology and the Facit building system. ✅ Projects located across the UK only. Why get involved? We deliver homes 50% faster and 20% cheaper than traditional construction by combining our end-to-end process with advanced digital tools, microfactories, and sustainable building systems. This isn’t just a better way to build, it’s the future of homebuilding. https://lnkd.in/e-8V8V-h Let’s collaborate and lead the transformation of housing in the UK. If you have a project that aligns with this vision, get in touch with Bruce Bell or Oliver Thomas Alessandra Di Simone Matthew Pratt Pedro M Hurtado Silva Daniel F. #facithomes #housing #pilotproject #homesengland

Post 1 of 3 Architects’ Journal recently had an article on Pattern Books that I contributed to. I had a lot more to say than they printed so thought I'd post it here. Let me know what you think! https://lnkd.in/eQ_Ksnds The article picks up on an Australian proposal to use 5 standard house types to be built across the continent in the hope of accelerating delivery. My work in this field at Hawkins\Brown points to this approach being unsuitable for the UK. It is too prescriptive in terms of response to local styles and materials – particularly if it is limited to 5 types. Moreover, it is difficult to see what benefit it would bring commercially without significant investment in and coordination of the supply chain, at a time when there is little capital for such upfront costs. That aside, for all the reasons that have been well-rehearsed around the demographic timebomb, low productivity and environmental challenges, we do need to ‘industrialise’ housing delivery to meet the challenge of delivering 1.5m homes in the next 4 years or so. The big challenge is largely one of education and change management within housing associations and local authorities. Rather than developing house types, affordable housing providers should adopt a more strategic approach as outlined in the recently published Leveraging MMC to Address Housing Challenges. This excellent report by Akerlof warns against direct investments, and instead advocates prioritising setting long-term strategies, facilitating strategic partnerships, and ensuring robust risk management frameworks that deliver sustainable value across a programme of work. The report recommends promoting common data standards. Rather than pushing for standardised design solutions, providers should focus on sharing information and collaborating more effectively. They should develop a strategic pipeline, and use procurement that enables MMC. And they should set targets and KPIs based on the capacity and capability of MMC manufacturers in their region, with the aim of attracting investment from the larger organisations and providing stability for smaller manufacturers to scale up. Another approach is the so-called ‘Digital Kit of Parts’, providing a performance standard for Category 2 (2D flat pack) and Category 5 (non-structural 3D, eg bathroom pods) systems, setting baseline performance standards and geometric constraints for walls, floors, roofs, etc. This would help to integrate our fragmented industry, activate a steady pipeline and aggregate demand.

Great article, Jennifer Castenson, and thanks for including Brave Structures in it. One point from Samantha Hill that stood out to me: “Modular construction is not necessarily cheaper than traditional construction methods.” Now, I'm not picking on Samantha here at all—I have heard this said before. But the thing is... to make housing affordable... we need to make affordable houses... in factories. If your modular construction or offsite operation is costing more than traditional methods, please reach out to us immediately. We will fix that. When designed properly, it’s impossible for a factory to cost more to produce anything than doing it on the street. Impossible. So, what makes a high-performance factory? 1) It tracks its data and fully understands its contribution margin on a daily basis. 2) It has benchmarks and goals for each operation, measured on a per-product or per-hour basis, with real-time tracking and display of targets versus actuals. 3) It holds daily data-driven productivity meetings to solve shift-related challenges and support workers in achieving their daily goals. 4) It makes data-driven investment decisions for long-term solutions. Notice I didn’t mention automation or technology. Those things don’t lead—they follow. They come from the data. Everything starts and ends with production data. #AbstractData #BraveStructures #OffsiteProductivity #AffordableHousing

Economic necessity has driven a surge in adaptive reuse with office buildings being converted into multi-family housing options and shopping malls being converted into residential units with adjacent entertainment facilities. For daily news and analysis subscribe to the https://lnkd.in/gkPc4uBJ newsletter. #Construction #Engineering #Infrastructure

Developer reveals plans for 31-storey City tower designed by Wilkinson Eyre: CO-RE’s for Aviva Investors to replace 1950s tower on the edge of the City’s eastern cluster #construction #news

I came across this article on Bisnow about the growing popularity of mass timber construction. It highlights how major developers are finding timber buildings lease faster at higher rents while reducing the carbon footprint. Hines mentioned being interested in more mixed-use (office and housing) timber buildings. As an architect, it's exciting to see real estate developers embracing the financial and experiential benefits of #MassTimber! #SustainableArchitecture #GreenBuilding #TexasCRE #RealEstateTrends

Calling All Architects, Developers, Homebuilders, Housing Associations, And Councils! We’re looking for collaborators who are frustrated by the limitations of traditional housebuilding 🏚️ and a drive to explore better, smarter solutions! At Facit Technologies, we’ve scaled the cutting-edge technology, building system, and microfactories developed through Facit Homes, and we’re now open for business to deliver multi-unit developments across the UK. We’re now looking for projects……If you’re working on a project and want to build faster, more affordably, and with greater quality, let’s talk! 🚀 Here’s what we’re looking for:  ✅  Sites or developments featuring 15-30+ homes 🏘️ , either standalone or part of a larger project. ✅ A commitment to delivering high-quality, sustainable homes that stand out.  ✅ A focus on medium to higher density living via the terrace, townhouses, maisonette typologies. ✅ A desire to innovate by building with our proven on-site manufacturing technology and the Facit building system. ✅ Projects located across the UK only. Why get involved? We deliver homes 50% faster and 20% cheaper than traditional construction by combining our end-to-end process with advanced digital tools, microfactories, and sustainable building systems. This isn’t just a better way to build, it’s the future of homebuilding. Let’s collaborate and lead the transformation of housing in the UK. If you have a project that aligns with this vision, get in touch with us today and contact Bruce Bell or Oliver Thomas Alessandra Di Simone Pedro M Hurtado Silva Matthew Pratt Daniel F. Jennifer dos Reis #facithomes #housing #pilotproject #homesengland

GK Crystal Homes is a residential project comprising ground plus two floors (G+2) that offers various configurations of apartments, including 1BHK, 2BHK, and 3BHK options. If you’re looking for ready-to-move flats in this project, here are some features and benefits you might expect: ### Features: 1. **Variety of Options**: The project provides different sizes of flats, catering to various family sizes and preferences (1BHK, 2BHK, and 3BHK). 2. **Modern Amenities**: Typically, such residential projects offer amenities like 24/7 water supply, power backup, security services, and parking facilities. 3. **Quality Construction**: Expect modern architecture and quality construction materials. 4. **Location Benefits**: The project may be strategically located near essential services like schools, hospitals, shopping centers, and public transportation. 5. **Ready to Move In**: As the flats are ready to move, you can avoid the long wait often associated with under-construction projects. ### Considerations: - **Pricing**: Review the pricing for each type of flat, keeping your budget in mind. - **Floor Plans**: Examine the floor plans to ensure the layout meets your needs. - **Local Infrastructure**: Research the surrounding area's infrastructure and development plans. - **Developer Reputation**: Check the track record of the developer for quality and timely possessions. For specific details, such as pricing, availability, and features of each flat, it would be best to contact the sales team or visit the property site directly.

Affordable Housing and New Building Techniques: Solving Tomorrow’s Housing Crisis As the global housing crisis intensifies, the challenge of providing affordable, high-density housing without sacrificing quality of life has become more pressing than ever. However, modern methods of construction (MMC) are opening up new possibilities for creating vibrant, sustainable, and desirable housing at scale. Historically, high-density developments such as Manhattan’s iconic blocks have proven that density doesn’t inherently equate to diminished quality of life. These developments, rich in amenities and walkability, demonstrate that density can coexist with desirable living conditions. Today, new MMC techniques—such as modular construction and pre-fabrication—allow us to replicate this density while offering flexibility, speed of delivery, and reduced costs. What’s more, these techniques can produce homes that are equally as beautiful and durable as those built with traditional methods. The UK has recently seen the rise of affordable housing schemes that combine MMC with thoughtful design. Projects like these often offer mixed-tenure developments, blending affordable housing with private sale and rental properties, creating diverse communities. Examples include projects like the award-winning Elephant Park development in London, which integrates high-quality social housing into a vibrant, sustainable urban environment. These schemes demonstrate that affordable, high-density housing need not compromise on aesthetics or liveability. With careful planning and innovative building techniques, we can provide homes that are not just affordable, but places where people truly want to live. What considerations do you think are important in order to deliver high-density developments that don't sacrifice quality of life?