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 | | PORTMAN POCKET DOORS...IDEAL WHERE SPACE IS AT A PREMIUM | | | Portman Doors | | 22/07/2008 | | | The housebuilding industry is an ambitious one. Deadlines, targets and price continue to shape and dominate developments. Housing associations are under pressure to build more homes sustainably, in tough timeframes and to extremely high standards. The cost of lending and the drive to squeeze more dwellings into any given footprint are resulting in the actual living area available becoming compromised. Andy Howland, Sales Director at Portman Pocket Doors discusses how the concept of a pocket door system can help to increase the useable space within a residence.
The government has set the target of 30,000 new homes per year for social accommodation, rising to 45,000 by 2010/11. Across both private and public sectors, the aim set by the government is for 240,000 new homes to be built every year by 2016 – this is a hugely ambitious target. More than ever before the onus is on housing providers to supply more cost effective or affordable places to buy or rent. The challenge for these providers however, remains the comparatively small spaces available for development and the need to provide homes that are liveable and comfortable, often with space optimisation being a key conundrum.
The UK’s population as a whole is living longer and generally comprises a more fragmented social unit than ever before, fuelling the growing demand for housing. Families increasingly need affordable housing, far more so than generations in the past. The government’s latest targets set a new rate at building to try and tackle the problem of families struggling to buy a home of their own. Research shows that building just at current levels would mean the proportion of thirty year old couples able to afford their own home would fall from over 50 per cent today to nearer 30 per cent in twenty years time - an undesirable proposition that will inevitably lead to a growing demand for a social housing solution.
The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP addressing the National Housing Federation Conference in 2006 described the rising housing demand across society and its future escalation as a priority. A primary concern is the amount of families who can afford regular mortgage payments, but cannot get that first step on the ladder because of the rate of price increases.
Housing associations have a growing role to play in meeting the challenges and demands of housing. Firstly, in delivering increasing numbers of affordable homes to rent and buy, and also for not for profit housing associations leading the way in building mixed developments of affordable and market housing – promoting innovation and brining costs down.
The demands on the housing infrastructure have and continue to rise at an alarming rate, altering the speed, style and delivery formats of residential buildings. Space often comes at a high premium, particularly within city areas where there is a comparatively high population density. It has become the norm to expect exceptionally high prices for comparatively small living areas.
Large buildings are often being re-modernised and sold off as individual flats, increasing the amount of profit made but in a lot of cases, compromising on the useable space available. In addition, UK houses are becoming condensed, with more rooms such as en-suite bathrooms and utility rooms being created within the same footprint.
To compensate for smaller floorplans, space-saving products have been developed by some of the leading manufacturers. An often overlooked area though, is the space that doors take up with their opening arc. By simply switching the door specification from a traditional hinged door to a “pocket” sliding door a huge impact and benefit on the amount of useful space within a dwelling is gained. Substituting a pocket sliding door for a standard door will save around 10 sq ft per door.
This is possible because a pocket sliding door removes the need to allow space for the “opening curve” of a standard door. Whilst a sliding door will also remove the need for this curve, the pocket door creates additional space by sliding inside the wall cavity itself. This not only creates extra floor space but generates extra wall space which can be utilized more productively than simply as a dead area hidden behind the back of the door.
A pocket door is ergonomic to maintain, easy to operate and is aesthetically stylish. The sliding system is ideal where design flexibility and space saving are of prime importance. Being able to slide a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom door within a wall and out of the way saves about 6% of the overall floor area.
Any standard door blank can be used, maintaining a consistent aesthetic with other side hung doors. There are many considerations affecting the choice of system from the position and purpose of the door to the frequency of opening and closing and thermal/sound insulation requirements. The options of specifying self closing mechanisms, bi-part opening mechanisms and kits to fit any size doorframe, such as Royde & Tucker’s Portman Pocket Door System, all contribute to an effective and sophisticated ergonomic system.
Aesthetics are an important part of any specification and the ability to select various components heightens the flexibility and versatility of design. As well as a variation of timber panels, many systems incorporate glass doors, from simple glass door hangers to hangers and covering valences. By specifying e.g. an opaque glass leaf a sleek and contemporary style is created, allowing light to permeate whilst giving privacy when required.
As population densities increase and average property sizes decrease the need to develop innovative ways of utilising the finite space available is leading the development of new products and solutions to meet changing demands. Pocket sliding doors are ideal for new build developments but can easily form part of a refurbishment programme.
Design is extremely important, with standards and codes such as those set by CABE encouraging innovation alongside practicalities. Housing associations should be leading the way in providing high quality design and in the development of mixed communities on existing estates and not be afraid to turn down poorly designed new homes.
By incorporating the latest developments in materials engineering to maximise wall and cassette stability, the Portman pocket door system provides easy installation and quality aesthetic detailing. | |
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