Outspoken critic of housebuilding in the UK turned house- and community-designer, Wayne Hemingway speaks exclusively to whatgreenhome.com about zero-carbon homes, sustainability and the future of housebuilding in Britain. Wayne, and his wife, Gerardine, in collaboration with architects Broadway Malan, is working on The Bridge, a mixed-use ‘Sustainable Communities’ regeneration project in Dartford, Kent, being built by George Wimpey South East.

Q. Zero-carbon homes: is it a worthwhile (and realisable) ambition or simply being used for political point scoring?

A. Yes, of course, it’s a worthwhile ambition. It would be daft not to see it in that way. I like to think politicians are a bit more mature than simply point scoring. They can be slightly naïve but they and we have to have something to aspire to and work towards.

Q. Sustainability is a word thrown around easily these days. What does it mean to you?

A. Something that lasts, that has longevity. People have to love where they live and want to come home to it. That’s what makes a community; a place that people want to come back to and live in. I hate the word regeneration – and the need for it – because it means stupid mistakes happened in the first place.

Q. What are you doing to create sustainable living at The Bridge that’s different from other housebuilders’ offerings around the country?

A. Essentially, it’s about the people not buildings. It’s about providing amenities and facilities, but it’s also about the tactility and the materials used. It’s about having access to bus and cycle routes. No one party can deliver this; there has to be a common meeting ground between the housebuilder and the council to create a place where people will want to live.

Q. You’ve got a magic wand. What in the world of housing would you wave it over and why?

A. For people to understand the positive impact good urbanisation can have. Done well it takes society forward. Designers have to move the world forward. Some planners and housebuilders treat their jobs as a 9-5; they should realise they are in a privileged position otherwise they may as well go a work in packing factory for all the use they are!

Q. Have you any plans to work on a sustainable project overseas?

A. I’m not interested in working overseas, well not on a second homes, Brits abroad type place – I’ve been asked several times and turned it down. If it were a project working in a township or something similar, then, yes, I would consider it.