The housing shortage is a daily topic of conversation in the UK, where high demand for housing and lack of available land often leaves developers wringing their hands and would-be homeowners scratching their heads in despair.
Added to this, the growing problem of fuel poverty – where a household spends more than 10% of its income on energy – and energy security mean the realities of life in cities can be tough.
Citu, the housing development company, set out to tackle these issues head on.
Formed in 2005, the company is disrupting the UK's regional housing market by regenerating urban brownfield sites and laying the foundations for collaborative, sustainable living. In its latest project, the company is developing 153 energy-efficient homes in Little Kelham, Sheffield, combining the latest in ecological building techniques with smart technology that allows residents to work together to manage their energy use.
The Little Kelham homes, which vary from one to four-bedroom properties, are being built to the Passivhaus standard, a global benchmark for low energy, well-ventilated buildings. Citu has established a temporary timber workshop on site, with a timetable that allows residents to watch local apprentices erect their timber-framed homes in weeks.
Passivhaus homes provide a comfortable indoor climate at any time of year without relying on conventional heating. They are so well insulated that they only need 10% of the energy used by a standard new building, offering substantial energy savings.
At Little Kelham, every home will undergo air testing and thermal modelling to ensure the builds perform exactly as intended, before residents collect their keys.
Citu is also working with English Heritage to preserve the spirit of the historical industrial site, where workers at the Green Lane Works, built in 1795, once fashioned stove grates and fenders in bronze. The original entrance gate is particularly ornate and has been described as "the most spectacular survival of factory architecture in the city".
Once complete, the development will have workshops and creative spaces, electric car charging points, on-site renewable energy technologies and bike friendly landscaping.
But Citu is going beyond creating pleasant, eco-friendly spaces, by empowering residents to take charge of their energy consumption. The residents cooperative will manage their energy use by buying utilities at wholesale prices, and investing the profits in energy efficiency measures.
Residents will sign up to a charter to ensure that everyone knows exactly where their money is going. Meanwhile, Citu will give residents access to clear figures on energy use, advantageous energy tariffs and allow them to learn about best practice in managing energy efficient properties – all at the touch of a button. Living in a "digitally enabled" home will allow residents to control and monitor their impact on the environment, pay energy bills online, and control their energy remotely via their desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.
As a joint winner of this award, with Keepmoat homes, the judges thought that Little Kelham was a "great example of affordable and sustainable homes", adding that it "challenges pre-existing ideas of what's achievable" and clearly demonstrates socio-economic value.
Citu's overall aim for the Kelham Hall development is to create a flourishing, sustainable community, where residents are encouraged to adopt collaborative, low carbon lifestyles and improve their quality of life.
This cultural change is already taking place at its Greenhouse development in Beeston, Leeds, where Citu transformed a redundant art-deco hostel (previously known as the "dustbin of Leeds") into 172 apartments and creative workspaces.
Residents tend allotments and sell their produce via an on-site deli, enjoy buildings powered by renewable energy and measure their water and energy savings via a smart tracking system.
The reaction to the Greenhouse and Little Kelham developments has been so positive that Citu has acquired two more brownfield sites and plans to build another 1,000 homes.
Katharine Earley is a journalist and copywriter, specialising in sustainability.
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
