How To … be a design champion

Who monitors design quality on your projects? If you are a developing association and your answer is “er, no one”, you’re going to have to change your ways.

The Housing Corporation is demanding that every major association nominate a director or board member as “design champion”, and is even writing the requirement into its partnering agreements. But who are these design champions and what do they do?

Who should take on the role?
In most cases, the design champion will be a senior member of an association’s board or management. Apart from having an interest in and enthusiasm for design issues, they do not need any specific qualifications.

They should be supported by a senior member of staff who knows about capital investment and design procedures. The design champion must be given sufficient organisational support and carry adequate weight within the organisation.

As well as appointing an organisational design champion, associations should consider nominating individual champions to oversee the delivery of large schemes.

What does the champion do?
Design champions have two main roles: to raise the profile of design and ensure that practical mechanisms are in place to deliver design excellence.

Raising the profile of design will generate enthusiasm for and commitment to design quality across an association. The design champion should:

• provide a single point of contact for external bodies
  
• coordinate the cause of good design across the association by joining up different departments
  
• promote good design’s social, economic and environmental benefits
  
• encourage the selection of designers with a good track record
  
• promote awareness of national and international best practice in housing design
  
• encourage schemes to be put forward for local and national design awards.

To fulfil the second part of the brief – getting practical mechanisms in place – the design champion should ensure that:

• all procedures encourage the achievement of quality design
  
• design quality indicators are used where appropriate
  
• tenders are evaluated on the basis of best value rather than lowest cost, and that sufficient weight is given to design quality
  
• budgets and timetables are realistic
  
• the association as a whole and individual project teams have the necessary skills
  
• the need for design quality is clearly articulated in project briefs
  
• residents, staff and the community have been fully consulted on design proposals
  
• measures are in place to define, check and evaluate design quality throughout the construction process
  
• where necessary, schemes are modified or redesigned in order to maintain quality
  
• all investment is viewed as a piece of urban or rural design, rather than in isolation

What is “well-designed”?
Good housing design is about more than aesthetics, although visual appeal is essential. A well-designed scheme will be functional, durable and easy to maintain; it will embrace innovation and be able to adapt to the future demands of society and technology.

The space surrounding developments also needs to be of the highest quality, with clean, safe and attractive streets and open spaces. Building for Life’s gold standard award-winning schemes, such as Ingress Park in Kent (Crest Nicholson/Tibbalds) and Abode in Essex (Copthorn Homes/Proctor Matthews), show what can be achieved.

When assessing the proposals for a new development, the design champion should consider the following criteria:

• the scheme has an identity that can be easily summed up
  
• the layout creates enclosure
  
• public spaces will feel safe and visitors will find the layout easy to navigate
  
• the building layout takes priority over roads and car parking
  
• the layout promotes the use of the street by pedestrians
  
• the scheme integrates with existing roads, paths and development
  
• buildings and spaces will outperform statutory minimums, such as the Building Regulations
  
• the development has easy access to public transport
  
• steps have been taken to minimise environmental impact
  
• there is a range of tenure and accommodation.