Thinking Differently About Development

Future Wales 2040 national plan reminds us that the construction industry is dominated by a small number of large developers, indicating that the public sector needs to enable a wider range of smaller and local developers to regenerate, deliver growth and build sustainable communities: “Enabling small and local developers” Future Wales 2040. This thesis uses this statement as a catalyst to THINK DIFFERENTLY. Small developers can bring forward personal value and care towards their local surroundings.

How can they be supported? Provoked by some of the current developments within Grangetown not dealing with the existing and the community demand for inclusive educational opportunities, this thesis has identified the coach house typology as an opportunity for targeted regeneration. Situated in Grangetown, Cardiff, a variety of research investigations ascertains that the current attitude to development is not effective, the community wants to feel empowered by regeneration not overwhelmed by unrealistic master plans.

In response to current developments within Grangetown not dealing with the existing and in line with the community’s wish for inclusive educational opportunities, this thesis has identified the coach house typology as an opportunity for targeted regeneration. The coach house is an enigma. Unlike other existing opportunities such as garages, sheds or empty plots of land, the coach house typology is a historic building obsolete in its current context. This namelessness is an opportunity for a fresh start, the coach house can become a paragon for valued spaces and conduit for inclusive education that has been requested by the community. Reflecting a personal position against the dismissal and standardisation of details within large architectural developments, this thesis aims to put the detail at the heart of decision-making by using a “Detail First” design ethos. A detail-first approach ensures decision-making is made with precision and care, whilst prioritising construction efficiency and innovative thinking. Following the theme of activating the overlooked, this proposal investigates 3 key details: ENVELOPE, THRESHOLD, GUTTER. This is aiming to reveal the immediate effect and wider impact of small changes. In response to the global climate crisis, the proposal prioritises De-carbonisation and a Fabric First Approach, reducing the total energy demand and embodied carbon before looking to bolt-on renewable offset

Whilst having a strong technical focus this thesis playfully provokes the thought that by starting with small decisions, commonly overlooked or seen as low value - one stud joint, one small coach house, one small Cardiff district - the sum of all these carefully managed decisions has the potential to grow to extraordinary lengths. Overall, this thesis’ goal is to investigate how Grangetown can grow One Coach House at a Time.