When we design homes, we don't just think about the building itself—we think about the sites they'll be built on. Across Wales there are thousands of sloping sites where conventional house types require extensive earthworks, retaining walls and tanking just to create a level platform before construction can even begin. The Eilio 2 Bedroom 4 Person dwelling was designed to challenge that approach. Rather than fighting the landscape, Eilio works with it. At 83m², the dwelling h

In recent blog posts, we've discussed standardisation based around the Creu Cartref and Tai ar y Cyd housetypes and whether house types really need to change from one project to another centered around the same question: Can housing be delivered better? One of the most ambitious efforts to answer that question is happening right now on the other side of the world. Introducing System 600 In New South Wales, Australia, the NSW Government and the Building 4.0 Cooperative Researc

In a previous blog, "Tai ar y Cyd – Did We Need to Change the House Types?", we shared why we made the TAYC 2B4P house deeper front to back to match the TAYC 3B5P house type for terrace configurations for our planning submitted project at Nant Y Coed, Llandudno Junction with Cartrefi Conwy. This change made coordination easier, and gave both popular family homes the same structural depth. Having completed that exercise, we asked ourselves another question. If we want to truly

For a long time, people in the housing industry have thought that 'fully modular' construction is the way forward. But IKEA worked out how to deliver products on an industrial scale decades ago, and they did it without shipping fully assembled furniture. This matters. IKEA is efficient not because they build finished products in factories, but because they standardise things like: components dimensions connections logistics packaging transport assembly sequences supply chains

A planning application has recently been submitted for Nant Y Coed in Llandudno Junction for a 43 unit affordable housing development for Cartrefi Conwy working with Savills ( Project lead ), Caulmert ( Engineering ) , Cadnant ( Planning Consultant ) and Siwdio Owens ( Landscape Architect ). The plans are based on the Welsh Government’s Tai ar Y Cyd initiative, which offers standardised, low-carbon house types to help deliver quality affordable homes across Wales. The Tai ar

At first, Tai ar y Cyd and Creu Cartref seem quite similar. Both focus on working together, setting standards, and making housing delivery better. They both see that the existing system often feels broken up, repetitive, and inefficient. Both aim to build a better long-term future for housing however, their ideas start from slightly different points. Tai ar y Cyd primary focus appears to be on how well the home itself performs: decreasing operational energy demand, lowering e

Most housing layouts start with a rule. In Wales, that usually means around 21 - 23 meters between dwellings where habitable rooms face each other protecting privacy with a 42 square meter garden per home. When you set this out on a plan it leaves a zone of 6-8 meters which is typically absorbed into each garden and fenced off - boundaries are clear, it’s easy to manage with long runs of fencing, narrow strips of garden, and a space that feels more like it’s been divided than

It’s been three years since we launched Creu Cartref. The idea was simple: make housing easier to deliver, without compromising on quality. But if we’re honest, the way housing is currently being delivered on site still hasn’t changed much and we're still encountering the same project pattern. New site, new layouts, new details—yet the homes themselves are often fundamentally similar. A huge amount of time still goes into reworking and coordinating timber frame designs, beam-

When we design homes, we think not just about immediate needs but about how people live and adapt over time. The Tryweryn Bungalow - 1 Bedroom 2 Person - 51 m² reflects that philosophy — compact, efficient, adaptive, and grounded in standards that future‑proof living. Designed with People in Mind Available to download for free and opensource from Creu Cartref's Tryweryn Bungalow it delivers a well‑balanced home for one or two people. With a 12 m² double bedroom (width 2,990 m

During a recent trip to Copenhagen, whilst cycling between copenhill https://www.copenhill.dk/en and refen outdoor food market https://reffen.dk/en/ ( both highly recommended ) — I stumbled across the Margretheholm Residential Redevelopment by Vandkunsten Architects. images of Margretheholm Residential Redevelopment by Vandkunsten Architects. Set behind Christiania and Holmen, Margretheholm occupies the former naval lands that once served Denmark’s maritime industry. Here, Va

It’s a question that keeps coming up — especially as pressure mounts to solve the housing crisis and meet ambitious carbon targets. On the one hand, we need homes that are genuinely low-energy, low-carbon, healthy, and future-proof. On the other, we need to build a lot of them — faster, cheaper, and with more certainty. Most people would say we need both. And that’s true. But the order we tackle them in? That matters. We’ve spent years perfecting the product — but the process

When we design homes, we think not just about immediate needs but about how people live and adapt over time. The Idwal Apartment (1B2P, 51 m²) reflects that philosophy — compact, efficient, adaptive, and grounded in standards that future‑proof living. Idwal apartment plan Designed with People in Mind Available to download for free and opensource from creucartref.com – Idwal Apartment 1B2P it delivers a well‑balanced home for one or two people. With a 12 m² double bedroom (wid

Does Creu Cartef's design ethos satisfy Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design? #industrialisedconstruction #kitofparts #architecture

Whether you're an Architect, Developer or Contractor, our house-type plans are now available to download open source and for free from the resource tab on our website. The construction industry flourishes through innovation and advancement. We are convinced that adopting open innovation will open up new opportunities to enhance safety, efficiency, contemporary construction techniques, and sustainability. When architects, engineers, contractors, and suppliers collaborate trans

To effectively adopt Welsh Governments 'Delivering Net Zero Homes', 'Modern Methods of Construction' and 'Design for Manufacturing and Assembly' aspirations do we simply need to 'draw the line' on existing house type layouts? Twenty years ago, a design guide for Social Housing in Wales featured a plan for a 3-bedroom 5 person house. Variations of this house are still being built today but is it an appropriate solution? See design guide extract below. Here are three variations

Volumetric Modular Construction is not the answer ............. unless there is volume, industry-wide standardisation, clear pipeline of pro

In an era where efficiency and standardization reign supreme does the construction industry need to undergo a transformative shift towards industrialisation? Embracing Industrialisation in Construction Industrialisation of construction is not about reinventing the wheel for every project but rather about streamlining processes to achieve greater efficiency and consistency. By adopting standardized components and practices, construction companies can eliminate unnecessary var

In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin revolutionized automotive safety with the invention of the three-point safety belt. This life-saving innovation was not just a technological breakthrough but also a humanitarian gesture, as Volvo decided to share the patent with the world for free. Decades later, the three-point safety belt is credited with saving over a million lives globally. This altruistic approach raises an intriguing question: can the construction industry adopt a sim

Nostalgia Reimagined I remember finding a Bayko construction set in my grandparents house as a child. The tactile satisfaction of fitting Bakelite bricks together to create houses, complete with windows, doors, and roofs, sparked my creativity and imagination and ignited my interest in Architecture. As I reminisce about the joy of playing with such construction toys, it begs the question: Should we reintroduce a similar kit of parts for constructing various house types in tod

Mc Donald’s are making great advances in the volumetric modular delivery of their stores but their willingness to adopt systemisation and standardisation can be traced right back to the very start of the business. "Consider for example, the hamburger bun." "We were buying our buns in the midwest from Louis Kuchuris' Mary Ann Bakery. At first they we're cluster buns, meaning that the buns were attached to each others in clusters of four to six, and they were only partially sli