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Westminster appoints architects to help retrofit hundreds of Victorian homes
Westminster City Council has appointed architecture practice Archio to help retrofit hundreds of homes built between the 1870s and 1880s in the borough.
City of Westminster Council has appointed architecture practice Archio to help retrofit hundreds of homes built between 1870 and 1880 in the borough #UKHousingArchio has been appointed to deliver a place-based retrofit to homes located in the Queen’s Park Conservation Area, north-west London.
The homes, built between the 1870s and 1880s by The Artizans, Labourers and General Dwellings Company, include council renters, housing association renters, owner-occupiers and private renters.
Working alongside co-design consultants Future of London, Archio will lead on developing a Healthy Homes plan – that is, an archetype-specific retrofit guidance.
The plan will look at conserving the homes’ original purpose while updating them for the 21st century, which has been complicated by current planning conditions restricting what residents can do to change their properties.
Archio will be working in partnership with local stakeholders and Westminster City Council to deliver the plan, which forms part of the council’s ambition to reduce health inequalities and become a net zero city by 2040.
The architecture practice will also be co-creating the plan with residents, to improve resident health, climate resilience and fuel poverty outcomes.
The project will begin by setting up a series of co-design workshops, to establish the parameters for the wider strategy for the area.
Westminster’s carbon emissions are primarily caused by existing buildings, with 86% of homes in mansion blocks or converted street properties, and 78% covered by conservation areas – the highest of any local authority in the UK.
Archio creates buildings, places and strategies for local authority regeneration companies, housing associations, select private developers, co-housing and community-led groups.
Ryan Jude, cabinet member for climate action, ecology, culture and air quality at Westminster City Council, said: “As part of our climate emergency action plan, our retrofit programmes have shown significant results in helping to reduce heating energy use by over 50%, further assisting our city to reach net zero by 2040.
“This can only be possible when we understand the experience of those who live in these homes.”
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