Tai ar y Cyd, a collaboration of 23 Welsh social landlords, have
produced a groundbreaking pattern book that will help make
building homes in Wales more sustainable, energy efficient and
cost effective.
It includes layouts for 15 house types and 18 variants ranging
from 1-bedroom flats and 4-bedroom houses to fully wheelchair
accessible bungalows and flats.
The benefits of the new pattern book include higher quality
homes, economic regeneration, faster construction, use of
low-carbon materials, cost certainty, reduced waste, and less
disruption to communities.
A design guide is also being launched to support design
teams using the pattern book with designing high quality
developments that complement the local area and context.
The new homes will utilise natural materials, including timber
sourced increasingly from Welsh forests and manufactured in Welsh
factories where possible.
The homes are also designed to meet both Welsh Development
Quality Requirements and Welsh Housing Quality
Standards.
This approach ensures that investment in new homes contributes to
local economic regeneration by supporting local businesses and
creating green jobs and training opportunities.
The pattern book and design guide will be officially unveiled on
15 January at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea
campus.
Ahead of the launch, the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local
Government, , visited Celtic Offsite in
Caerphilly, a social enterprise within the United Welsh Group
that manufactures timber homes from their factory.
The Cabinet Secretary said: "Tai ar y Cyd represents a
significant step forward in our commitment to building
sustainable and affordable homes here in Wales.
“We know that there is a real need for good quality and energy
efficient homes across our communities and this innovative
pattern book give developers the tools they need to
build homes more quickly and deliver against our target of
building 20,000 affordable low-carbon homes by the end of this
Senedd term.
“I am proud that we have been able to support the delivery of
these resources to support our local economies, grow the number
of skilled jobs across Wales and increase the number of
affordable homes.”
Richard Mann, Group Chief Executive of United Welsh said: “We
were delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary to our timber
frame factory, Celtic Offsite.
“The standardised housing designs from Tai ar y Cyd will enable
us to be more efficient in our manufacturing processes, so we can
build more homes at a faster rate for housing association and
local authority partners.
“We look forward to using the designs to build more much-needed
homes for people to enjoy across Wales.”
Notes to editors
NOTES TO EDITORS
Tai ar y Cyd members include 11 Welsh councils and 12 housing
associations, representing over half of the developing landlords
in Wales. The initiative is largely self-funded by its members,
with additional support from the Welsh Government.
The launch of Tai ar y Cyd is happening on 15th
January in Swansea. Tai ar y Cyd – Delivering
Net Zero Project Launch Tickets, Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 9:45 AM |
Eventbrite
Over 250 delegates from social housing landlords,
residents, contractors, sub-contractors, timber frame
manufacturers, architect and designers are joining the launch.
About Celtic Offsite
- Celtic Offsite is proud to be a part of the United Welsh
Group, sharing a passion for building homes, creating
communities, and transforming lives.
- The Celtic Offsite factory was established with £2m of
investment from Welsh Government's Innovative Housing Programme
to help drive forward MMC (Modern Methods of Construction).
