Newport Retrofit Housing, Newport, Wales

• Housing
• Newport City Homes
• 2021

We are working on a major retrofit/refurbish and rebuild project for 318 social-rent homes across 10 sites in South Wales. The sites all have existing ‘Easi-form’ housing stock constructed immediately after WWII with uninsulated load bearing concrete walls causing issues with thermal performance and internal condensation build up.

Our mindset to the project is 'retrofit-first' assessing each site on an individual basis and only proposing rebuild in a few instances where the condition of the block prevents re-using the existing housing stock.

The retrofit strategy targets improvements to resident’s private amenity space, with the addition of large south facing balconies, which will also shelter the blocks from excessive solar gain. Landscaping around the blocks will be improved with clearer circulation routes and the definition between public and private spaces demarcated. As part of the landscape strategy, a wide scale sustainable drainage scheme is envisaged with swales, ponds and rainwater gardens all used to hold rainwater on the sites.