Design and build in London, 2010 to 2023

NU Projects started in 2010. Look back over the thirteen years to 2023. Three things changed how a London house gets designed and built. 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 and audio were designed into the structure. Data and security were too. This means the cable routes and plant space have to be settled. That must happen 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 shares a contract with the architecture. See what NU MEP covers.

Sustainability stopped being optional

Insulation standards, airtightness and heat pumps all moved from a preference to a requirement. So did glazing performance and material sourcing. All of this happened over the same period. A period house in a conservation area has to meet modern performance. It must do so without losing its windows. That is a design problem rather than a specification one.

Clients arrive with a reference library

Image-led social platforms have risen. 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. It has to work as a set of photographs too. 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 have not changed. They are the same as 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.