SPECIFYING WITH CONFIDENCE TO MEET NEW HOMEOWNER PRIORITIES

It has been a turbulent time for the UK housing market, with political and economic instability pushing mortgage rates up to a 7.2% high at the end of 2022. After years of skyrocketing house prices and record-low interest rates, the market is now in a period of fluctuation, writes

Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin. ORIGIN

Until the dust settles, homeowners will be cautious. Soaring mortgage rates are making them reassess their priorities for buying a new home and re-evaluate renovation plans. As a result, developers may struggle to sell plots on projects already underway, while architects involved in projects still in the planning stages will need to design homes with the most consumer appeal.

Homeowners want properties that offer them the most value, support their lifestyle and protect against the rising cost of living – they want long-term reassurance and reliability. It is, therefore, imperative that homes are designed with this in mind, while architects and specifiers need to be confident that the systems they choose will support changing homeowner demands.

A quarter of people in the UK now work remotely, while socialising at home has become increasingly popular as families try to save money. Rather than open-plan layouts, they now want separate areas of the home for work and family life.

C losed-plan living, or ‘broken-plan’, is making a comeback as homeowners want different areas of the home to live, work and play. However, they don’t want to compromise on the amount of natural light they have come to love with open-plan living concepts. The Origin OI-30 Internal Door and Screen system is the perfect way to divide the home into functional rooms while retaining the flow of natural light. Available in over 150 RAL colours, it is made completely bespoke with the option to add as many vertical or horizontal glazing bars as you wish.

A steep increase in energy prices, plus the upcoming introduction of the Future Homes Standard, has propelled thermal performance to the top of buyers’ priority list. Housebuilders will look to architects to recommend the best-performing glazing systems that don’t compromise functionality and style. At Origin, our inhouse R&D team is constantly updating the design of the Origin Home Range to achieve the highest level of energy performance.

W hilst housebuilders seek advice from architects on home layouts, homeowners want to know what smaller upgrades they can make to their homes that will add impact and value. Something as simple as upgrading the front door can make a dramatic difference to kerb appeal, whilst replacing French doors with a set of bi-folding doors or sliding doors improves functionality and adds value to a home.

W ith so much uncertainty around the UK housing market, developers are looking for assurance that products specified by architects will have homeowner appeal and stand the test of time, whilst homeowners want to know upgrades will add value. Origin products are built to last and come with an industry-leading guarantee of up to 20 years, so they can be confident when specifying our glazing systems in homes for the future.

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Described as Dorchester’s most iconic building, the Brewery – once the source of the much-quaffed Eldridge Pope ales – has been transformed into a high-end residential setting, with Crittall windows playing a central role in retaining the heritage aesthetic of this historic structure.

For nearly a century and a half, the building, with its tall chimney, towered above the Dorset town as a symbol of local industry and prosperity. Designed by Architect WR Crickmay, the brick building was completed in 1880. At a staggering 13%, the brewery’s Thomas Hardy Ale once featured in the Guinness Book of Records as the strongest commercially-brewed beer in the country.

T he brewery eventually closed in 2003, and the site remained unused until, in 2007, planning permission was granted for a new public square overlooked by the impressive building, restored to its former glory containing 29 one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments.

L MA Architecture of Bournemouth has retained many of the unique features of the original building, including riveted steel beams, cast-iron columns and exposed brickwork. Crittall Corporate W20 steel windows and doors were a natural choice, glazed in small panes to replicate the original configuration of the tall brewery windows.