17 services · Sussex & Surrey
Residential
Extensions, conversions and whole-home projects for homeowners, with site visits across West Sussex, East Sussex and Surrey.
Extensions
Affordable Housing Design Services
Tenure-Blind Homes for Section 106 Schemes and Registered Providers. Nationwide.
Why Use ArchEvolve for Affordable Housing Design Services
Affordable homes must satisfy the council, the registered provider and the residents who will live in them for decades. ArchEvolve is MCIAT-chartered, designs every house and flat type in Revit, and checks space, access and storage against the relevant standards before planning.
- 15 years of experience
- 350 planning approvals secured
- 500 projects completed
- Revit 3D modelling as standard
- MCIAT-chartered accreditation
Our services
Affordable Housing and Related Services
Affordable homes are usually part of a wider scheme shaped through residential development design and secured in the planning application. Affordable flats follow our block of flats design approach, and technical design for housing developments carries each house type into Building Regulations drawings.
20 services · Nationwide
Developers & Commercial
Planning and technical design for developers and commercial clients across England.
Developer services
Site & feasibility
15 services · Homeowners and developers
Planning & Drawings
From the first feasibility check to construction drawings, in the order a project needs them.
01Feasibility & survey
02Planning
03Technical & construction
Affordable Housing Design That Meets Every Brief
Our affordable housing design services cover the affordable homes within market-led Section 106 schemes and wholly affordable developments for registered providers. The challenge is to meet planning policy on mix, tenure and space while producing homes a registered provider will want to buy and manage, and that residents cannot tell apart from the market homes next door. We plan the affordable units into the layout from the start, rather than fitting them in once the market homes are fixed.
Common challenges
- Affordable homes clustered together or visibly different from market housing
- House types that fall short of the space standard the council has adopted
- Registered provider requirements arriving after planning is approved
- Wheelchair accessible homes required by the local plan or Section 106
- A unit mix that does not match the council's housing need evidence
- Homes that are expensive for residents to heat and maintain
How ArchEvolve solves them
- Tenure-blind elevations with affordable units distributed across the layout
- Every house and flat type checked against the relevant space standard
- Design to the provider's brief, or to typical requirements while you seek one
- Accessible and wheelchair user homes designed to Part M from the start
- A mix agreed with the planning officer early and fixed into the layout
- Fabric-first specification and simple, durable details that keep running costs down
How an ArchEvolve Project Works
Affordable housing design follows seven stages, from confirming the policy requirement to construction drawings that suit the provider.
Policy Requirement Check
We review the local plan, affordable housing guidance and any draft Section 106 heads of terms to confirm the percentage, tenure split and mix expected.
Provider Brief
If a registered provider is involved, we design to its brief. If not, we design to typical provider expectations so the homes remain attractive to buyers.
Mix and Distribution
We place affordable units across the layout to meet the council's distribution and clustering expectations while keeping management practical for the provider.
House Type Design
We design each affordable house and flat type in 3D, checking room sizes, storage, accessibility and furniture layouts against the relevant standards.
Planning Application
We prepare drawings, an accommodation schedule and a tenure plan showing where each affordable home sits, supporting the Section 106 discussion with the council.
Technical Design
We produce Building Regulations drawings for every house type, covering accessibility, energy performance, fire safety and sound insulation between homes.
Provider Package
We issue construction drawings and house type information clear enough for contractors to price and for a registered provider to check against its requirements.
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Affordable Housing Design Services Across the UK
Showing Tenure-Blind Design in 3D Before Planning
Tenure-blind design is easier to show than to promise. ArchEvolve models every affordable and market house type in Revit and renders the street in Enscape, so councils and providers can see the homes sit together as one scheme.
Street and Interior Visuals
Every affordable housing scheme is modelled in Revit and rendered in Enscape, showing officers and providers the street scene and furnished room layouts before submission.
Policy-Checked Submissions
Tenure plans, accommodation schedules and drawings are checked against the validation list and affordable housing policy, reducing delays at validation and negotiation.
Council Policy Research
ArchEvolve reviews affordable housing requirements, tenure splits and space standards for councils across the UK, working remotely with your planning consultant where you have one.
Consistent Personal Delivery
Alex Page designs every house type personally, so changes requested by the council or provider are carried through consistently across the whole scheme.
Affordable Housing Design Delivered UK-Wide
ArchEvolve designs affordable homes for developers, landowners and housing providers across the UK, working remotely over Teams with site visits arranged where they help.
What do your affordable housing design services include?
The service covers a review of the council’s affordable housing requirement, design to a provider’s brief, mix and distribution across the layout, house type design, planning drawings with a tenure plan, Building Regulations drawings and a construction package. You can appoint us for the affordable element alone or for the whole scheme.
When does a scheme have to include affordable housing?
In England, national policy says affordable housing should generally be sought on major developments, which for housing means ten or more homes or sites of half a hectare or more. Councils can set lower thresholds in designated rural areas. The percentage and tenure split come from the local plan and are secured through a Section 106 agreement.
What does tenure-blind design mean?
It means affordable homes look and feel the same as the market homes around them, with the same quality of elevations, materials, parking and landscaping. Councils typically expect it, and they often set limits on how many affordable homes can be grouped together. We design one family of house types that works for every tenure.
Do affordable homes have to meet the Nationally Described Space Standard?
Only where the council has adopted it through its local plan, although many have. Registered providers commonly expect it too, whatever the local policy. We check every house and flat type against the standard in the 3D model, including bedroom sizes, storage and ceiling heights, before planning drawings are issued.
What accessibility standards apply to affordable homes?
All new homes must meet the baseline accessibility requirement of Part M. Councils can also require a share of homes to meet the higher optional standards for accessible and adaptable dwellings or wheelchair user dwellings, applied through planning conditions. We design these homes to the right standard from the first layout, not as an afterthought.
Do you work with registered providers?
We design to a registered provider’s brief once one is involved and can join design meetings over Teams. ArchEvolve does not hold arrangements with particular providers, so securing a buyer for the affordable homes stays with the developer. Where no provider is involved yet, we design to typical provider expectations.
Can the affordable homes be flats rather than houses?
Yes, where the council’s housing need and the site allow it. Flats need careful thought about shared cores, service charges and how one provider will manage a block. Our block of flats design page covers the detail, and we can test houses against flats in 3D.
Which affordable tenures do you design for?
Social rent, affordable rent, shared ownership and other intermediate products. The homes themselves are largely the same, but tenure affects where units sit in the layout and how blocks are managed. We set this out early as part of our residential development design work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Book Affordable Housing Design Services Today
Free initial consultation for developers and landowners with affordable housing requirements anywhere in the UK.
