Kingston KT2 development from Square Roots

Square Roots chose to work with NHBC for the building warranty

NHBC is proud to support the house-building industry. Our purpose is to raise standards by championing high-quality homes and NHBC is also invested in the future of this industry and works to understand the ways it is evolving to meet consumer demand. 

To understand more about the affordable housing sector, we spoke with Square Roots, about the latest innovative development in Kingston and the future of affordable housing.

Background

Kingston KT2 is the latest development from Square Roots and offers 52 one, two and three-bedroom apartments just a short walk from the edge of Richmond Park. Square Roots aim to offer affordable options in this increasingly popular area of London through both shared ownership and affordable rent.

Making living in London more affordable

Square Roots was created to enhance London’s legacy of people, places and buildings with the aim of creating developments that meet the needs of new residents and existing residents alike.

They recognise the growing need for quality affordable housing in the capital and aim to build properties that delight those with ambitions to own their own home. In fact, their existing and upcoming developments will deliver over 1,000 homes in and around Greater London.

It is evident that the need for affordable homes continues to grow, and we have an unmet demand for both individuals and families who currently cannot afford to rent or buy in and around London. That’s why I’m so pleased with the progress of Kingston KT2, another development built in harmony with the community providing high-quality new homes in an area that really needs them.
Barbara Richardson

Managing Director at Square Roots

Creating places people want to live

Square Roots strive to create developments where people want to live and so meet demand, while also building considerately with the community in mind, recognising the existing environment and architecture.

Square Roots always consults with the existing local community and looks to understand the needs of the area, both in terms of tenure and the mix of homes because communities need to be well-balanced to be sustainable. Different types of homes, suitable for people at various times in their life, are vital for support networks and keeping families and extended families well connected.

Innovating affordable homes

Another interesting aspect of the Kingston KT2 development is the use of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). The project has involved the use of pre-formed off-site manufactured timber roof trusses, pre-cast concrete components, a ground floor slab structure which consisted of reinforced concrete floor beams infilled with pre-formed insulation units, and unique roof dormers installed on the third floor.

All these innovations were in budget helping to make this development more cost-effective and speed up the build to deliver much-needed homes even sooner than originally planned.

Working with NHBC

Square Roots chose to work with NHBC for the building warranty on the Kingston KT2 development. Barbara explained "We decided to work with NHBC as our requirements were best met by the NHBC Buildmark Choice Policy. It offers good cover for the affordable housing sector, with many options relevant to long term asset holders. We found that working with NHBC also gave us the benefit of open discussions from the early concept and inception stage of the project, all the way through to completion, with good technical support available throughout.”

Affordable housing trends

There is and has been a critical need for affordable housing, over the last three decades, not only in London but across the UK, but aside from this, we asked Barbara if she felt there were any other notable trends in this sector. She said “There is a greater focus on customer satisfaction and engagement which can only help improve the products and services we offer as listening to and acting on feedback from our customers always leads to improvement. I also think the attention given to building standards, as well as health and safety, is incredibly positive and will inevitably lead to greater investment in both new and existing homes, which will encourage a long-term focus on quality for the benefit of all.”