NU Projects started in 2010. Looking back over the thirteen years to 2023, three things changed how a London house gets designed and built, and all three changed what a client asks for on the first call.
Systems moved into the fabric
In 2010 a smart home was a control panel bolted on at the end. By 2023 heating, cooling, lighting, blinds, audio, data and security were being designed into the structure, which means the cable routes and the plant space have to be settled before the first wall is built. Get that wrong and you are chasing conduit through finished plaster.
That is why our mechanical and electrical work sits inside the same contract as the architecture. See what NU MEP covers.
Sustainability stopped being optional
Insulation standards, airtightness, heat pumps, glazing performance and material sourcing all moved from a preference to a requirement over the same period. A period house in a conservation area has to meet modern performance without losing its windows, which is a design problem rather than a specification one.
Clients arrive with a reference library
The rise of image-led social platforms means most people now come to a first meeting with a folder of pictures. That is useful. It also means a scheme has to work as a set of rooms and as a set of photographs, and the two are not the same thing. Where the light falls matters more than either.
What did not change
The things that decide whether a project goes well are the same as they were in 2010. Whether the design was finished before the price was fixed. Whether one team is accountable for both. Whether changes are written down before they are built.
That is what our 12-stage process exists to hold. If you are planning work on a London house, tell us about it.
Published 9 February 2023. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.