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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

Aims and objectives

1.1 The Architecture Policy Unit ( APU - at that time part of the Tourism, Culture and Sport Group of the Scottish Executive and now part of the Scottish Executive Europe, External Affairs & Culture Directorate) launched a tender through the Analytical Services Unit of the Tourism, Culture and Sport Group in September 2006 to examine the role and status of design in the private sector house-building industry across Scotland, entitled " Design at the Heart of House-Building".

1.2 This tender was won by a consortium of Scottish Higher Education Institutions, led by the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt University, and including staff from Architecture at Edinburgh University and the School of Architecture at Edinburgh College of Art. ¹

1.3 Homes for Scotland ( HfS) - the apex organisation for the majority of Scottish private sector housing developers / builders - has played an important role in supporting the research, which highlights good practice and is designed by the Scottish Executive to be beneficial to the industry as a whole. ²

1.4 The research focuses on investigating how housing developers conceive design and how they engage with this in the development process for new housing. The main aim of the research is thus to provide evidence on the current status of design in the house-building industry in Scotland, and suggest how to promote design as a key factor in driving house-building in the future.

1.5 The principal research objectives were to:

• explore whether there is a clear vision and understanding of design and design policy amongst the key stakeholders;
• understand issues surrounding skills and training in design in house-building organisations;
• identify examples of good practice where house-builders have overcome barriers and successfully placed design at the heart of their house-building programme;
• disseminate such examples of good practice within the house-building industry to further promote the value of design more effectively so that house-building in Scotland becomes a design-led activity.

1.6 The research activity was specified to be implemented in 3 phases: an initial widespread email questionnaire, followed by a series of semi-structured interviews with a selected typical sample of private sector housing developers/builders to investigate key issues in more depth, and finally a series of case studies developed in more detail from the second phase findings to highlight good practice.

1.7 The research has been guided by an Advisory Group. ³ In addition, the Research Team proposed that in their experience it would be useful to consult with a wider cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary Reference Group during the research process to permit inputs on key areas of research, and engage with possible users of this early in the process, thus facilitating later dissemination of the findings. This Reference Group was composed of representatives from key policy-related organisations, professional organisations and the construction industry. ⁴

Context for the research

Policy context, Scotland

1.8 The research is in line with Scottish Executive policy development since the publication of The Development of a Policy on Architecture for Scotland (1999) and subsequent launch of the Executive's Policy on Architecture in 2001. In 1999 the Executive praised the outstanding social, cultural and economic value of the best of Scotland's buildings and architecture, but at the same time it criticised many new buildings as "monotonous, spiritless in design and not related to their surroundings." (Scottish Executive 1999, p5). In parallel with the Policy on Architecture the Scottish Executive developed an urban design policy Designing Places (2001) which crucially became a material consideration in planning applications. Since then a series of publications have sought to create a framework in which design can move to the centre of building, along with the development of design champions in Architecture and Design Scotland and the Lighthouse. This policy context in Scotland includes the following.

1.9 Scottish Planning Policy ( SPP) 1 - The Planning System identifies design as one of the 5 Scottish Executive priorities to be achieved through the planning system. SPP3 -Planning for Housing (2003a) further highlighted that the planning system should seek to create quality residential environments, among other objectives. This SPP set out the issues to be considered in planning for quality residential environments: design, layout and architecture; energy efficient housing; form of development; landscape and open space; density; choice of residential environments; and mixed communities. It highlighted how "the design of new housing is not always given sufficient priority by those involved in development" (p. 2), and drew attention to Designing Places and Policy Advice Note ( PAN) 67 Housing Quality. In addition SPP3 stated that "working with architects and landscape architects, developers should aim to produce schemes which enrich the built environment" (p. 2), and noted the importance of paying attention to the characteristics of local design, adjacent buildings and the surrounding area. Policy therefore focuses on both the process and product of development and this is taken up in the approach to this research.

1.10 In 2001 the Scottish Executive's planning policy document Designing Places stressed the importance of design in creating successful and sustainable places and set out 6 qualities of successful places: identity, safe and pleasant spaces; ease of movement; a sense of welcome; adaptability; and the good use of resources. This focus on good quality design has informed a series of recent Planning Advice Notes ( PANs) that provide guidance on the design of housing, as follows.

1.11 The qualities identified in Designing Places are interpreted and applied to new housing by PAN 67 Housing Quality (2003b) which describes successful places as those that are distinctive, safe and pleasant, easy to get to and move around, welcoming, adaptable and resource efficient - a description that is also used in SPP 20 - Role of Architecture and Design Scotland (2005a). PAN 67 acknowledges that planning cannot prescribe good architecture or guarantee successful places, and identifies the role of planning as that of creating appropriate conditions for these and of ensuring that the design of new housing reflects a full understanding of its context, it reinforces local and Scottish identity, and is integrated into the movement and settlement patterns of the wider area. PAN 67 focuses on the qualities of successful places, provides case studies of best practice, and puts forward a toolkit for the achievement of quality design in new housing. The research examines whether such best practice has influenced the development processes of house-builders in Scotland.

1.12 PAN 68 Design Statements (2003c) went a step further by putting the onus on applicants, including house-builders, to submit design statements with planning applications explaining and illustrating the design principles and design concept of the proposed layout, showing how the qualities in Designing Places are to be achieved. This therefore made explicit how developers could respond to their responsibility for meeting quality standards and raised the profile of design in the housing development process, stating that "all applicants … should consider design as an integral part of the development process" (p. 17). Once again, this provides a benchmark in the research to assess whether design has become integral to the private housing development process and act as a basis for examples of how this has been achieved.

1.13 The quality criteria from the above documents are applied to rural housing by PAN 72 Housing in the Countryside (2005b), with detailed advice on particular issues such as scale, materials and details. In relation to the role of design in the process, it identifies applicants as having a responsibility in delivering good quality designs, and in addition states that "they should seek assistance of skilled architects and designers" (p. 19). The research methodology, including selection of case studies, has taken care to address this rural dimension in addition to issues of urban and suburban Scotland where the majority of private house-building takes place.

1.14 PAN 76 New Residential Streets (2005c) develops the qualities of successful places in their application to new residential street design through a detailed checklist of issues to address during the design process. In terms of the process, though this PAN notes that the design and approval of new streets is governed by both planning and roads legislation, and that road standards are the responsibility of local authorities, it also highlights the developer's leading role in undertaking studies of the site and outlining proposals including street design characteristics - i.e. it flags up the developer's design responsibilities. Pro-active approaches to specific aspects of housing and place design are also encouraged through PAN 77 Designing Safer Places (2006a) and PAN 78 Inclusive Design (2006b).

1.15 In summary, while planning policy and guidance in Scotland has increasingly focused on the importance of successful place-making and good design quality and highlighted tools to achieve these, it has also increasingly acknowledged and made explicit the responsibilities and roles that developers have in delivering these when developing housing. A Policy on Architecture for Scotland Progress Report 2005 (Scottish Executive, 2005d) discusses the progress made in implementing the policy and notes a wide range of initiatives which promote design across the built environment. However, it goes on to note that establishing a range of programmes "is only a start, and the real measure is whether such good intentions carry through into practice." (p49) In addition there have been a number of initiatives within recently created organisations in Scotland, informed by key aims and aspiration of the Policy for Architecture, focusing on generating more awareness of design, promoting interest in architecture and disseminating examples of good practice to a wider audience. In this respect, the Lighthouse - Scotland's National Centre for Architecture, Design and the City - and Architecture and Design Scotland ( A+DS) have undertaken a number of projects aiming to generate a better understanding of design in Scotland.

1.16 The recent Statement on Scotland's Architecture Policy: Building our Legacy (2007) noted the intention to further integrate architecture policy with government priorities including housing, stressing the social, cultural, and environmental costs of poor quality design in general. A particular issue emphasised in this regard is the periphery of cities and towns, where there is a need to challenge developers, clients, design teams and contractors, to provide quality design, respecting urban context, and a parallel need for a more widespread shift in attitudes, expectations and practices about design.

1.17 A specific commitment in this regard is to explore opportunities for new partnerships with key built environment organisations such as Homes for Scotland to focus on issues relating to housing design and layout. In terms of increasing design awareness and skills, and in recognition of the powerful impact that local authority action has on design outcomes, Architecture & Design Scotland is developing a design training framework to be delivered to all local authority planning departments aimed at raising design skills and awareness and also developing guidance for local authorities on master planning, aimed at raising awareness of the value of the process and building skills and confidence in using this tool.

1.18 In general A+DS is seen as playing an important role in developing, collating and disseminating research to inform the development of resources and guidance that can be shared with, and embedded in the practices of, key development participants such as planners, architects and housing developers. Such research and guidance needs to be clearly linked to practice and early, supportive engagement of A+DS in the design process will increasingly become the focus of its work, including with private housing developers.

1.19 In the context of the number of unique initiatives for Scotland, this research aims to contribute to the understanding of how processes of housing development influence the design of the final built product. Establishing the extent to which policy objectives are being carried through to the practice of private housing developers, the constraints which inhibit this and the processes and structures which overcome these constraints are key objectives.

Policy context, UK

1.20 In England a similar process to the above has taken place. Following on from the work of the Urban Task Force, the Commission for the Built Environment ( CABE) produced influential publications and advice on the design of English cities such as By design: Urban design in the planning system (2001a) and Better places to live: By design (2001b). This latter was the companion guide to the English Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 (Housing) ( PPG3), and it identified the following as attributes of successful housing:

• Movement: A movement framework which is safe, direct and attractive to all users
• Mix: A rich mix of housing opportunities
• Community: A sense of neighbourhood and community ownership
• Structure: A coherent structure of buildings, spaces, landscape and routes for movement
• Layout: Street layout and design which is appropriate to use and context
• Place: Attractive and clearly defined public and private spaces
• Amenity: Pleasant gardens and private amenity space
• Parking: Convenient but unobtrusive car parking
• Safety: A safe and secure environment
• Space: Well planned homes which provide space and functionality
• Adaptability: Housing which is robust and adaptable to changing requirements
• Maintenance: An environment which can be well maintained, over the long-term
• Sustainability: Housing designed to minimise resource consumption
• Detail: Well considered detailing of buildings and spaces

1.21 In relation to housing, CABE established a partnership in 2001 with the House Builders Federation - Building for Life - which is supported by English Partnerships, the Civic Trust, Design for Homes and the Housing Corporation. Building for Life aims to: identify successful new housing and disseminate to industry and decision-makers lessons from this; identify barriers to designing quality new homes and campaign to remove these; and understand better the needs and aspirations of house-buyers so as to influence the production of housing that is more attractive to them.

1.22 Building for Life is seeking to achieve these aims through a series of initiatives. It has established a list of 20 questions that are supported by the UK government as the standard or benchmark for the design quality of new homes in England. Rather than prescriptive standards, these are questions house-builders should consider when designing new homes, which are grouped under 4 sections: character; roads, parking and pedestrianisation; design and construction; and environment and community. House-builders and housing associations in England can apply for a Building for Life standard award (silver or gold) for a particular scheme by submitting applications based on the 20 questions. Through this Building for Life is seeking to raise the profile of, and create incentives for, quality design in house-building. Building for Life's guide to the standard, Delivering great places to live: 20 questions you need to answer, identifies the benefits of good design in housing as: helping improve people's wellbeing and quality of life; benefiting public health; increasing property values; and cutting crime.

1.23 CABE (2004a) What home buyers want: Attitudes and decision making among consumers discusses the trade-offs to be made between different aspirations house buyers have, highlighting the role that policy makers and professionals have in helping reach decisions around such trade-offs that benefit not only the individual consumers but also the wider community. It provides evidence that volume builders do not always respond to what surveys have found to be desired by house buyers, for example in relation to the design of new streets and location of car parking.

1.24 CABE (2004b) Housing Audit: Assessing the Design Quality of New Homes - London, the South East and the East of England presents the findings from an audit of 100 recent housing developments in terms of the quality of their layout, urban design and place-making, as well as in relation to the processes involved. The audit covered developments built between 2001 and 2003, checking them against the 20 Building for Life criteria. The evidence from this audit showed that the design quality of the majority of new supply is no better than average. This report identifies conflict between those involved (planners, developers, etc) as stifling good design, and points to good teamwork, design championing and consensus as factors that contribute to good practice. The cases that scored poorly suggested cases of failure of both the design process to bring forward sound proposals and the planning regulatory regime to intervene and improve submitted proposals. A particular weakness common to those scoring poorly was in design and construction, in particular the lack of vernacular or site-specific design. Instead there is a trend towards a generic "vernacular" which is unrelated to site, and which also (outside London) ignores the consumer demand for contemporary architectural design.

Application of policy context in this research

1.25 The divergence noted above between what is produced and the quality aspirations of consumers highlights the complex and often subjective nature of decisions about housing quality and its definition. However, the focus of this research is on the process which will lead to putting design at the heart of house-building rather than on the products of the building process per se. In this there has been no attempt to pre-define what is good design, but to investigate what the private sector housing developers consider this to be, and to assess to what extent this is influenced by policy and guidance such as the above. This has proved an essential element of the research approach in gaining confidence and understanding of the complexity facing the design and production process of new private sector housing, and hence provides a sound basis for subsequent action.

1.26 Challenges remain if the good intentions of policy are to be translated into better housing design and residential place making and these challenges relate in a large part to the structure and constraints of the construction industry in the United Kingdom. Within this industry as a whole, the particular structure and performance of the house-building sector has most impact on the places where people live and has specific features which militate against successful place making. Private sector housing development is the predominant source of new housing in the UK accounting for 89% of completions in 2004 (Wilcox, 2005, p110). Unlike in many other countries where the majority of new housing is "self promoted" (where the first owner commissions construction), the UK is dominated by private speculative building with self promoted housing only accounting for around 6% of new build (Duncan & Rowe, 1993).

1.27 The private housing development sector has gone through a period of consolidation and mergers, increasing the market share and impact of a small number of companies. This has occurred over a period when there has been great competitiveness in a market and where house completions have fallen over a long period since the Second World War (Hooper & Nicol, 2000). Hooper and Nicol analysed the constraints and opportunities which developers work within and which influence the process of standardization of design through standard house types and the extent to which the market also fosters individuality. This analysis put a different slant on the common complaint that developers build one type of house across the United Kingdom by stressing the marketing advantages of individuality in housing layout. An interesting aspect of their analysis is that although the market encourages a degree of individuality in house facades, and this may include the use of vernacular styles and materials, it often includes the addition of detail which is inappropriate for the setting (Hooper & Nicol, 2000). The observation that the individualisation of houses is often confined to the façade and is marketing led emphasises the danger of house design representing a pastiche with elements of unrelated styles and traditions. The idea of "individuality" is marketed through the means of a limited number of repeated house types, but in order to achieve the construction of an economic number of units at a saleable price, standardized components are employed and serial construction methods adopted. There is a therefore a fundamental schism between concept and realization, in that repetition/similarity is the economic imperative of construction, while the image of individuality/uniqueness is the device used to generate sales (McLachlan, 2001). The research has explored the extent of standardisation in design, and specifically the extent to which "one-off" house design may have influenced standard designs and construction processes. ⁵

1.28 Since the Latham Report (1994) and Egan Report (1998), there has been increasing encouragement for developers to apply concepts of partnering and of efficient production within the construction industry. These developments have seen improvements in efficiency, cost effectiveness and profitability in the industry. Off-site manufacture and standardization of components and processes can clearly reduce waste and are compatible with sustainability objectives in the industry and of government. Nevertheless, these developments are not unproblematic if their introduction leads to the adoption of standard design across the country and disregard for local tradition and environment. On the other hand, the modernising agenda for construction encourages sharing of national and international good practice and therefore opportunities to learn from best practice in the use of modern construction to achieve sustainability and design quality (Constructing Excellence 2006). The extent to which innovation in construction is design-led or cost-led will determine whether modernising construction has a positive or negative influence on design quality and place making in private sector developments. The research also explores the influence of these important trends on the processes used by house-builders and their impact on products.

1.29 Signs within the house-building industry suggest that despite constraints on their action such as those discussed above, there is a willingness to engage with the objective of improving the design quality of products. In its response to the recent consultation on the Policy on Architecture, Homes for Scotland was supportive of the policy objectives but criticized the current policy as "vague, ambiguous and without coherent objectives."(Homes for Scotland 2006, p1) There is some justification for the frustration felt by the development industry where lack of clarity on the part of policy makers is often criticised as an impediment to speedy development. For example, PAN 67 says little on the implications for development practice by house-builders other than noting their role in producing masterplans and design statements and highlighting that higher standards of housing design depend on the attitudes, knowledge, confidence and skills of all involved in the development process. It is also understandable that policy makers will be reluctant to stifle creativity and individual solutions by imposing detailed design criteria. Nevertheless Homes for Scotland believe that "However difficult it might be, policy must be articulated in a way that allows the setting of tests/benchmarks against which projects can be evaluated." (Homes for Scotland, 2006, p1)

1.30 The development of policy and standards in England, as noted above, gives an example of how this criticism of ambiguity can be addressed. For example, some of the Building for Life questions make clear the need for housing developments to respond to their setting, with questions about distinctive character of the place (Q1); exploitation of existing buildings, landscape or topography (Q5); integration with existing roads, paths and surrounding development (Q9); and design that is specific to the scheme (Q11). These standards all have implications for the housing design process undertaken by house-builders. CABE's Design Reviewed: Urban Housing (2004c), for instance, reports that there is evidence of house-builders responding to the need to create a sense of place by developing a variety of house types for a single scheme, and notes the value of using a masterplan to achieve coordination when several architectural practices are involved on one site, as well as the potential to achieve distinctiveness, diversity and character when more than one practice is involved. This publication also calls for the same key design team to be used throughout the design process so that quality is not lost after the planning application has been approved. This aspect is highlighted in this research especially in the case studies.

1.31 One of the priorities for action identified in CABE (2004b) Housing Audit: Assessing the Design Quality of New Homes - London, the South East and the East of England is improving the skills of developers, their advisors and local authorities, which display shortages in 5 areas: strategic planning skills, urban design, project management, management and maintenance of local development partnerships and community involvement, and project appraisal and financing. However, the recommendation that training is provided in these skills and that more design-trained personnel are employed appears to be addressed more to the public sector (planners, etc) than to volume house-builders.

1.32 The Egan Review: Skills for Sustainable Communities ( ODPM, 2004) addressed both the public sector and private developers. It urged developers not to use financial issues as an excuse for delivering "mediocre design and mediocre building quality...[and]…'placeless estates'."(p36) In particular, developers were urged to enhance their skills in listening to and interacting with communities. The report noted that an advantage for developers in proactive engagement with local authorities and the community in Local Development Frameworks would include clarity about development opportunities and faster planning approvals. It was suggested that in removing uncertainty this could increase developer profitability.

1.33 The following sections and chapters of this document report the methods and findings of the research, as well as the case studies examined, and - on the basis of this evidence, and taking into consideration the wider context - the final chapter provides overall conclusions from the research, with recommendations arising from this from the Research Team.

Research methodology

1.34 The research specification included an outline of key phases of the work and the anticipated components of each, to be addressed by mandatory research methods.

Phase I: Questionnaire survey

1.35 A questionnaire survey of all house-building firms in Scotland was considered to be the most efficient method to gather relevant general information for the project. This was to be either postal or electronic, depending on availability of types of contact details from Homes for Scotland, who maintain records of 90% of house-builders in Scotland, responsible for some 95% of all private sector housing completions. Contractors were also to suggest means of contacting the remaining 10% of house-builders.

1.36 The main aim of this survey was to collect data relating to exploring the extent and level of house-builders' skills and training in design, including:

• what do house-builders regard as "design";
• how do the house-builders structure their organisation regarding design;
• has this changed in any way over the last 5 years; and,
• given recent policy developments, has design now become more central to their building policy?

1.37 The survey was also to explore whether there is a clear vision of design and design policy amongst all stakeholders, including:

• what range of design skills house-builders use, either in-house or contracted in;
• how do they see the value of design in their plans/house-building schemes; at what stage is design brought into the house-building process;
• what barriers do house-builders perceive to making design central to their plans; and
• do they have a "design strategy".

1.38 The survey was also seen as an initial way to identify examples of good practice where an organisation has successfully overcome barriers and placed design at the heart of its activity.

1.39 In response to the above specification, the Research Team undertook an email survey between December 2006 and March 2007, exploring developers' understanding and vision of design; design skills and training; and factors influencing design in the development process. The survey focused mainly on process issues but also gave respondents the opportunity to highlight examples of completed developments which had been recognised as achieving high design standards. The survey included a range of closed, pre-coded and open questions (see Annex 1 for Questionnaire).

1.40 Although the e-mail survey sought as complete coverage of housing developer activity in Scotland as possible, it was not anticipated that a wholly representative sample would be achieved as any form of postal survey typically has incomplete response rates. With a relatively small "universe" of a little over 100 developers, responses were more likely to represent those developers with an interest in design and non-response was likely to be systematically biased towards developers with less interest in design issues. Nevertheless, efforts were made to achieve as much coverage of different categories of developer as was possible. Despite the caveat that the firms responding cannot be taken to be a fully representative sample of the industry, the Research Team and Advisory Group do consider that a representative cross section of the industry in terms of nature of firm and location of main activities was obtained, thus providing a strong foundation for subsequent analysis.

1.41 A total of 106 developers were contacted: 100 Homes for Scotland ( HfS) members and 6 other developers identified as important nationally or regionally. To accommodate data protection issues and also to maximise the response rate, HfS agreed to send the survey to all of its members with a covering letter encouraging participation and advising that HfS supported the research. The 6 remaining developers were contacted by the Research Team directly after identifying possible non- HfS members. Developers were sent a copy of the email questionnaire and this was later followed up by a reminder. A number of developers were contacted up to 2 more times in order to improve representation in particular geographical areas or from major developers with large programmes. There were a total of 27 returns, 26 from HfS members and one other. ⁶ The overall response rate in relation to the target was therefore 25.5%, which is quite acceptable for a postal survey.

1.42 Although just over a quarter of developers responded to the questionnaire, because of the range and size of these developers the responses represent a larger proportion of developer activity in Scotland. Table [1] shows new housing completions in Scotland in 2005/06. The 27 firms, which took part in the survey, had completed 7,277 dwellings, which represents 37.3% of all private sector completions in that year.

1.43 Almost half of the responding firms (13) had won design awards in the past 5 years, reinforcing perhaps the self-selecting nature of respondents. This aspect of the research was a major focus for the Phase III (case studies), highlighting some key factors which have led to this being the case including good partnership working, willingness to risk modern approaches to design and construction (more likely in one-off/bespoke developments), good fit to landscape and site, and a high level endorsement at company level for design quality.

Table 1.1 Housing completions in Scotland 2005/06

Source: Scottish Executive Housing Trends in Scotland Quarter Ending 31 March 2006
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/29091939/8

Phase II: In-depth interviews

1.44 Following on from Phase I, it was initially envisaged that the next step would comprise the visiting and in-depth interviewing of a relevant house-building representative in each of the largest (6) house-building organisations, in a sample of the remaining leaders in the business, and in a sample of the smaller house-building organisations in Scotland. The purpose of this was to explore in more depth the issues raised by the questionnaire survey, and to establish the perceived barriers to integrating design at the core of the house-building programme. Case study examples were to be selected from these interviews to demonstrate successful outcomes where barriers and obstacles to including design at the heart of the house-building programme have been overcome. Phase II was thus designed to inform the research objective of identifying examples of good practice where house-builders have overcome barriers and successfully used design at the heart of their house-building programme.

1.45 Subsequently, between March and May 2007, the Research Team undertook a series of semi-structured interviews with a sample selection of 24 of the developers who responded to Phase I. Given the relatively small sample and geographical concentration of developers in Central Scotland it was proposed that selection be aimed at gaining a good proportional representation of types of firm across an agreed set of criteria drawing on the Phase I responses and based on: firm type - including size, HQ location and market segment; the location where most of the firm's development takes place; and the firm's declared approach to design - perceived importance, design awards and design related personnel. These selection criteria were discussed and agreed with the Advisory Group.

1.46 On this basis 19 of the firms have headquarters located in Scotland and 5 in England; with completions ranging from 15 to 1,300 units, firms were divided into 4 categories with 5 selected producing less than 100 units per year, 8 selected producing between 100 and 199 units per year, 6 with 200 to 499 units per year and 5 with 500 or over units per year; 3 firms focusing on starter homes, 14 firms focusing on mid-market homes and 7 on executive homes; 18 in the central belt; a proportionate range of firms responding on the importance of design; a proportionate number of firms with in-house architecture skills, or alternatives; and a range of firms with design awards. See Table 1.2 below for detail.

1.47 The interviews built on responses to the e-mail survey and, in particular, focused on the "open" questions embedded in the questionnaire, investigating answers from respondents in more detail, exploring qualitative issues to obtain a deeper understanding. Themes considered by the Research Team as important for deeper investigation, and agreed with the Advisory Group, included: the definition of design quality; integration of design into the development process; the influence/role of "one-off" design; priorities in terms of design; positive and negative influences on design quality; and possible good practice examples for case studies in Phase III (see Annex 2 for Interview Guide).

1.48 Interviews commonly took 90 minutes and developers were very responsive in assisting this aspect of the research. Where appropriate specific questions were asked in this phase on the role of "one-off" design and whether this influenced standard designs and processes, with the findings being integrated into the main study.

Table 1.2 Phase II selection criteria and balance vis-à-vis Phase I responses

Note to table Proportionate total for firm volume equals 23 companies because of rounding

Phase III: Case-studies

1.49 Examples of best practice identified in Phases I and II were to be followed up through presenting case-studies of house-building organisations where it was found that they had integrated design into their programme; where barriers to design at the core of their plans have been overcome; and where examples of best practice can be extracted and shared in the dissemination of the research. This was to respond to the research objectives of identifying examples of good practice in house building processes and disseminating the results.

1.50 In the light of the completed fieldwork for Phases I and II of the research, it became apparent that the following criteria were relevant to study process, product, and the relationship between the two as follows:

• Key issue (primary criterion): Phases I and II identified key stages and steps in the development process where design may be integrated and barriers encountered and overcome, such as land release and acquisition, and different stages of the planning process (from prior to planning application such as masterplans and design statements to during the planning approval period such as planning officer involvement); as well as key themes ranging from provision of infrastructure and affordable housing contributions to intervention in historic settings (with implications for the design process).
• Firm type and size (secondary criterion): Phases I and II identified different design processes, priorities and constraints among different firm types and sizes as identified for the stratified sample for Phase I.
• Type of setting (secondary criterion): process and product vary according to the urban, suburban, green belt, small town or rural setting of the development, as this has a significant contextual relevance.

1.51 In addition to the above, although not necessarily having an impact on the characteristics of design process and product, geographic location was to be considered as a "check criterion" to ensure that there was broad representation of examples from around Scotland, i.e. maintaining the geographical relevance of Phases I and II.

1.52 The interviews yielded a limited number of exemplar developments where one-off or bespoke designs have been used (or are intended to be used) subsequently as standard house-types. Four additional case studies illustrating one-off and standard designs were therefore integrated in the main list of proposed case studies to ensure an overall spread in terms of type of setting, firm type and size, and geographic location, as explained above - i.e. a total of 10 case studies.

1.53 Finally, given the emphasis of this research on process rather than product, it was proposed that the research highlight and disseminate some recent examples of good practice in the design process which may not yet have resulted in a completed development due to the time the development process takes. This was intended to ensure that the report is at the cutting-edge of current and evolving practice and therefore produces recommendations that are timely and relevant to the current moment, and not illustrate examples of design processes which at times are several years previous to design guidance being available.

1.54 Initially 12 potential case studies were identified, with the 2 extra ones to act as a reserve in order to achieve the target of 10 case studies. All 12 potential case study developers were contacted, and 10 of these eventually went ahead.

1.55 A detailed description of the case studies selected based on the above criteria is provided in the relevant section of the next chapter of research findings.

Other research considerations

1.56 The research was designed and implemented in accordance with the Risk Management, Ethical Policies of the contracting institutions. In particular the companies selected for interview retain anonymity and this report draws together their responses to Phase I and II without identifying any of the responding firms or interviewees, this being clearly explained to the interviewees in advance and during the survey and interview processes. However, given the nature of the case studies it is inevitable these are identifiable, and as such in each case of a potential case study the firm contacted has been informed of this and has explicitly accepted identification. Again, the Research Team warmly thanks these firms for this open approach.

1.57 In relation to Equal Opportunities, other than adhering to the internal policies of the contracting institutions, the Research Team advocated for the research design to address particular equalities issues and to involve that appropriate organisations be invited to be represented on the Reference Group: Ownership Options in Scotland to ensure that a disability and special needs perspective; Communities Scotland, with experience working with ethnic minorities in Scottish housing; and the Highland Housing Alliance and Scottish Rural Property and Business Association to represent rural views.

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