ROUND TABLE REVIEW 27 BUILDING
INSIGHTS LIVE
Round table chair, ADF editor James Parker
Keeping Fabric First in Future Homes Standard Compliance
A
round table of housebuilders, consultants, academics and supply chain representatives convened earlier this year to discuss how to maintain a focus on building fabric for housebuilders complying with the new Future Homes Standard (FHS), in a context of demanding new home delivery targets in England. The meeting had some particularly important insights around how to ‘keep fabric fi rst,’ and therefore obey the original maxim behind the standard, in the face of an industry narrative dominated by heating and renewable technologies, and operational carbon rather than upfront embodied carbon. The event was held at London’s Building Centre, and was sponsored by Kingspan Insulation, engineered timber provider Medite Smartply, membranes supplier Don & Low, Tarmac Group, Keystone Lintels, and windows fi rm Eurocell. Shortcomings in the fi nal published FHS consultation response were highlighted by delegates, although the fi nal implications for housebuilders would not be clear until the publication of the Home Energy Model, expected to come into force in March 2027 alongside the FHS. The fabric requirements themselves didn’t move far beyond the Part L 2021 improvements, apart from a small uplift in air-tightness, and a more rigorous way of calculating window performance, but the response confi rmed many key compliance aspects such as the PV requirement. Delegates particularly criticised the fi xed ‘functional requirement’ for 40% of the ground fl oor area to be roof-mounted solar PV, constraining design fl exibility around other options for compliance. Other challenges raised included the persistent performance gap between design and built homes, and how value engineering hampered robust materials specifi cation. In particular, skills shortages across the delivery chain were a barrier to prioritising fabric, and delegates said that even the emergence of the Standard itself, with its associated costs, was thought to have prompted more people to leave the industry. However, with the Government not backing up challenging building targets with good engagement with industry, the sector was likely to have to deliver the initiatives required, from skills to offsite building innovation. Solutions from triple glazing to Building Passports, as well as the likely impacts of
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY VIEWS ON THE MATERIAL REALITIES The round table once again brough together leading voices from the construction sector with suppliers, to explore the practical realities of compliance
the new National Planning Policy Framework, were all discussed in a practical and highly engaged way at the round table.
Broad-based debate To give a broad-based picture of the issues around keeping fabric fi rst, the conversation included leading housebuilders, a range of consultants, and sponsors’ representatives. While the Standard has confi rmed many compliance aspects, and the transitional arrangements extending until 24 March 2028, delegates said HEM will be essential for clarifying the trade-offs and balances that housebuilders and designers will need to make in schemes. Industry bodies and associations engaged in advocating a fabric focus in future homes included the Insulated Render and Cladding Association (INCA), the Insulation Manufacturers Association, the Association of Environment Conscious Building (AECB), and The Green Register. The debate took a deep dive into the onsite challenges, the systemic skills gap facing the sector, and possible
ADF JUNE 2026
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
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