Atkins on housing and density
Following the Chancellor's announcement of £44 billion funding in government support for housing and an overall £400 million to regenerate housing estates, Philip Watson, UK Design Director for Atkins, has been reflecting on the future of our cities.
Philip's team has developed new technology to provide what he terms 'human-centred design', to make the places that people live and work in, attractive and sustainable. The Atkins' technology puts health and well-being at the heart of design and investment decision-making, providing a bench mark for developers.
As a designer and architect, Philip is highly concerned that in the rush to create new developments for housing, both developer and design teams should stop, think and take a step back, to consider the legacy they are leaving for generations to come. Careful decisions he says need to be made about the orientation of buildings, height, light, thermal efficiency, greenery and other human factors for creating sustainable working and living environments.
The set of technology tools developed by the Atkins team with Imperial College London, he states, has a role to play in engaging with communities and helping developers create living and working environments of exceptional quality.
Watch Philip's video clip above where he explains his concerns over developments such as Old Oak Common in west London.
