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Small Spaces, Big Impact: Rethinking the Ginnel
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
alwyn647
5 days ago4 min read


Creu Cartref - Three Years In — Are We Still Reinventing the Wheel?
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-
alwyn647
Mar 273 min read


Creu Cartref's Tryweryn Bungalow - a closer look.
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
alwyn647
Feb 23 min read


Lessons from Copenhagen’s Quiet Urbanism
During a recent trip to Copenhagen, whilst cycling between cope nhill 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. H
Creu Cartref
Nov 16, 20253 min read


Should we be building more efficient homes or focusing on delivering homes more efficiently?
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
alwyn647
Oct 17, 20253 min read


Creu Cartref's Idwal Apartment - a closer look.
When we design homes, we think not just about immediate needs but about how people live and adapt over time. The Idwal Apartment (1B2P,...
alwyn647
Sep 28, 20253 min read


What is good design?
Does Creu Cartef's design ethos satisfy Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design? #industrialisedconstruction #kitofparts #architecture
Creu Cartref
Jan 20, 20256 min read


Opensource innovation
Whether you're an Architect, Developer or Contractor, our house-type plans are now available to download open source and for free from...
alwyn647
Jan 6, 20253 min read


Is it time to 'draw the line'?
To effectively adopt Welsh Governments 'Delivering Net Zero Homes', 'Modern Methods of Construction' and 'Design for Manufacturing and...
Creu Cartref
Oct 27, 20243 min read


Volumetric Modular Construction is not the answer .......................
Volumetric Modular Construction is not the answer ............. unless there is volume, industry-wide standardisation, clear pipeline of pro
Creu Cartref
Jul 6, 20244 min read


Streamlining Construction with Industrialisation: Embracing a Kit of Parts Approach
In an era where efficiency and standardization reign supreme does the construction industry need to undergo a transformative shift...
alwyn647
Jun 24, 20242 min read


The Impact of Open Innovation - Lessons from Volvo's Three-Point Safety Belt.
In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin revolutionized automotive safety with the invention of the three-point safety belt. This life-saving...
alwyn647
Jun 17, 20242 min read


Reimagining Bayko's kit of parts for Modern Construction
Nostalgia Reimagined I remember finding a Bayko construction set in my grandparents house as a child. The tactile satisfaction of fitting...
alwyn647
Jun 10, 20241 min read


What do Mc Donald's buns have to do with MMC?
Mc Donald’s are making great advances in the volumetric modular delivery of their stores but their willingness to adopt systemisation and...
alwyn647
May 13, 20242 min read


Construction Excellence Wales MMC questionaire.
Following the success of CEW’s Construction Summit Wales 2024, where the Minister announced the start of a new relationship between the...
alwyn647
Apr 11, 20245 min read


How can we design for the future?
Those of you who are the same age as me will instantly recognise the Delorian from the 1989 film Back to the Future II and then be...
alwyn647
Apr 11, 20242 min read


Does this cable sum up the problem with Modular Construction?
Below is an extract from a BBC article regarding an industry wide standardisation of phone chargers. ( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/techno...
alwyn647
Apr 4, 20242 min read


How can we prototype more?
'I made 5,127 prototypes of my vacuum before I got it right. There were 5,126 failures. But I learned from each one. That’s how I came up...
alwyn647
Mar 15, 20241 min read


World book day
On world book day we’ve revisited the book ‘How Big Things Get Done’ by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner thart we read last year. Full of...
alwyn647
Mar 7, 20242 min read


Is this design and build?
Starting a project with hopes and dreams is great, but do we reach our goals in the end? A project needs a brief that outlines it's...
alwyn647
Feb 26, 20241 min read
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