Standardised Design

The Government wants to reduce building costs and speed up housing delivery by using standardised designs, especially alongside Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

• Standardisation means using common designs and approaches to make construction cheaper, faster, and more efficient.
• The Government will encourage and, where possible, require standardised designs for social housing.

• The Department of Housing has published standard designs for social housing.
• Builders must now use:
  • The Design Manual for Quality Housing
  • The Employer’s Requirements for Detail Design of Quality Housing

• In June 2025, the Government published a Design Guide for State-Sponsored Student Accommodation.
• This guide sets best practices to ensure value for money, modern design, and sustainability.
• It also promotes MMC to make building quicker and more consistent.
• The Department of Further and Higher Education will explore how the construction sector can deliver large-scale student accommodation using MMC and standardised designs.

The goal: lower costs, faster delivery, and high-quality homes and student housing.