1. Department of Communities and Local Government, Code for Sustainable Homes; A step-change in sustainable home building practice (London, DCLG, December 2006)

2. Department of Communities and Local Government, Planning Policy Statement 3 - Housing (Norwich, TSO, November 2006)

Sustaining Architecture in the Anti-Machine Age

Ongoing research...

Ian Abley is an architect currently engaged on a four year Engineering Doctorate at the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering at Loughborough University, sponsored by the Modern Masonry Alliance.

The CICE is committed to advanced training and research in engineering and construction management. Ian's academic supervisors at the CICE are Dr Jacqui Glass and Dr Dave Edwards. His industrial supervisors are currently Martin Clarke of British Precast and Michael Driver of the Brick Development Association. The theme of the EngD is:

Improving the efficiency of the UK masonry construction sector

This is paraphrased to Better Built in Masonry, with a focus on residential construction, and the EngD will conclude in July 2010. The aim is three-fold, relating to the three scales of housing design:

Better Masonry Housing Technologies

To develop architectural ranges of advanced masonry wall constructions capable of achieving the highest performance standards required in the Code for Sustainable Homes, (1) and with the long structural design lives that bricks, blocks, and stone provide.

Better Masonry Housing Typologies

To show how masonry homes may anticipate the periodic upgrade of kitchens, bathrooms, toilets and utility rooms to accommodate the emerging building services foreseen in the Code for Sustainable Homes, (1) and with larger internal and external space standards.

Better Masonry Housing Topologies

To consider streamlined and locally responsive approaches to residential development within the parameters of Planning Policy Statement 3 - Housing issued by central government, (2) and within the context of strategic land use and infrastructural planning.

An improvement agenda is not new in the masonry sector. However the UK masonry sector concerned with house building is in an unprecedented position with regard to regulations. Compared to the historic origin of masonry walling as a solid construction, which is evident in British housing prior to and after the First World War, and much still in occupation, it has become technically feasible to develop a suite of composite and cavity masonry wall constructions to meet the highest performances in the Code for Sustainable Homes. (1) These are to be demanded of all construction materials sectors for new build housing, which is small compared to the mass of the poorer performing, ageing, but nevertheless highly valued British housing stock.

Yet at the same time Planning Policy Statement 3 - Housing requires, amongst other things, that new housing is built at a minimum of 30 homes a hectare - with few exceptional circumstances. (2) While much of the existing housing stock was built, again often prior to the First World War, at far higher densities, Britain has been characterised since by much lower density detached and semi-detached masonry housing.

So while government is expecting innovation in new technologies, the housing typologies and residential topologies that it will permit are not like the largely masonry suburban architecture that has demonstrably accommodated social change for at least a century. This is no trivial moment in the history of British housing development, and the MMA sponsored EngD recognises the need to continue to meet popular demand for housing that is Better Built in Masonry.

The MMA develops and promotes masonry construction - the bricks, blocks, and stone; the cement and mortar which bind them together; the researchers and technicians advancing the industry; the men and women who build masonry homes, buildings and structures. For more information visit www.modernmasonry.co.uk