Our follow-up to ‘making housing happen’ explores the challenges of delivering high quality social housing, focusing on three shedkm projects that prove quality, speed, and viability are compatible, with the right design approach.
For social housing to be deliverable, it must make financial sense. This pressure can hit quality, reducing space and natural light, and maximising density at the expense of amenity. With the urgent need for affordable housing, quality of life and sustainability are pushed down the priority list.
shedkm’s design approach supports viability without sacrificing quality. We make use of existing buildings to reduce embodied carbon, maximise space and living standards, and test options early to unlock funding while protecting communities. Working across retrofit, infill, and new build, these projects demonstrate how site-specific thinking delivers high-quality social housing that leaves a lasting positive impact.
grove street
sensitive community regeneration
Grove Street replaces 144 social rent homes no longer fit for purpose in central Liverpool. Retrofit would have compromised space standards, so we pursued sensitive new build keeping the existing community at its heart. Developed with Metropolitan Workshop for Regenda, the scheme delivers mixed tenures including affordable rent, and a new pocket park. All 144 existing social rent households will return to upgraded homes when works complete in Spring 2026, proving pragmatic tenure mix can protect community continuity while balancing viability. The animated sketch below shows Grove Street Plot B.
zodiac
unlocking a redundant asset
Zodiac House sat empty for 30 years, creating a blight on West Croydon’s high street. Working with Common Projects, shedkm transformed the 1960s office into 73 new homes, acquired by Croydon Council for temporary accommodation. Converted using permitted development rights, the homes prioritise living standards over density – a previous application was for 115 studios compared to the 73 homes delivered. Retaining the existing concrete structure and brutalist features saved embodied carbon while preserving the building’s identity. A residents’ lounge, newly landscaped public park, and community pavilion offer space for local people. Zodiac proves how outdated buildings can be transformed into community assets while revitalising high streets.
greenwich housing
repeatable MMC for varied sites
shedkm delivered 86 homes for social rent across a range of infill and brownfield sites as part of the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s ambitious social housing programme. The challenge was achieving consistency across varied constraints. We developed adaptable MMC typologies that standardise components while allowing site-specific responses. Each completed home features spacious interiors, dual-aspect design, and abundant natural light. Landscaped communal areas, play spaces and planted streetscapes balance shared and private amenity. Built with Elkins Construction for Greenwich Builds, the project demonstrates design-led offsite methods to accelerate delivery and control costs without compromising quality.
designed to deliver
These projects prove that quality and viability in social housing are not competing priorities – both can be achieved through rigorous, site-specific design. From adaptive reuse at Zodiac, to innovative MMC at Greenwich, to Grove Street’s community first approach, design choices become delivery levers – streamlining costs, embedding sustainability, and protecting residents.
Working closely with clients, we test options early and inject resourcefulness into complex briefs. The result is dignified social housing that strengthens communities, raises living standards, and repairs place – affirming social housing’s central role in resilient placemaking.