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 mm), open living and kitchen areas, and a flexible bathroom, every square metre is purposeful.

Key features include:

• Open‑plan living with good circulation and natural light.

• Adaptable bathroom layout (option for bath or shower).

• Built‑in storage exceeding 1.5 m².

• A knock‑out panel designed to enable future flexibility and direct access between the master bedroom and bathroom as needs evolve.

• A kitchen sized to meet Welsh Government kitchen storage requirements, with at least 1.1 m³ of cupboard capacity for a two‑person home.

Services, Voids & Efficiency

One of the strengths of the Tryweryn design is how services are arranged for minimal friction and maximal efficiency:

• The Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) cylinder and MVHR unit are located adjacent to external walls. This allows duct runs/ pipes from ext units to be as short and direct as possible, reducing losses and fan energy use.

• Because ducts don’t need to snake across ceilings, there’s less chance of clashes with sprinkler pipes, water supply/distribution, or electrical services.

• The ceiling zones in the bedroom and bathroom remain clear, supporting adaptability and allowing for potential ceiling‑mounted hoist track installation.

Construction Strategy & Module Logic

The Tryweryn Bungalow is designed to be flexible in how it’s built — whether by traditional masonry, panelised timber frame, or modular / off‑site methods (along the structural lines schematically shown on the floor plan).

Rather than seeing volumetric modular as the single solution, we lean into industrialised construction through a “kit of parts” approach — a philosophy Creu Cartref has articulated in its blog “Streamlining Construction with Industrialization: Embracing a Kit of Parts Approach”.

This approach means:• Using a small, repeatable palette of room modules (for kitchen, living, bathroom, bedroom, etc.) that interlock across designs.• Configuring these modules so they can be used whether built traditionally, in panels, or as full volumetric modules.• Avoiding a “volumetric modular is the answer” assumption — because that method only makes sense at scale with standardisation and minimal transport/assembly complexity.

By embedding flexibility, Tryweryn can adapt to different procurement, site constraints or sustainability goals — without over-committing to one delivery method.

Our Tryweryn Bungalow is the same layout and configuration as our 1B2P Idwal apartment, which further emphasises our industrialised construction approach prioritising repeatability, commonality and economies of scale.

Lifetime Homes (Selective Criteria)

• Door widths — 871 mm clear — meet accessibility guidance.

• The knock‑out panel is specifically placed to support future bedroom–bathroom access

• Bathroom layout supports either bath or shower with adaptability.

• Hoist ceiling zones kept clear for potential future installation.

Welsh Development Quality Requirements (WDQR, Beautiful Homes and Places)

• GIA: 51 m² ≥ 50 m² minimum.

• Bedroom size & width: 12 m², width 2,990 mm (meets threshold).

• Storage: built‑in provision exceeds 1.5 m².

• Kitchen: meets required 1.1 m³ cupboard storage for 2 persons.

• Flexibility and performance expectations maintained.

Approved Document M (Wales, 2025)

• Circulation: doorways and corridors sized to satisfy (871 mm clear doors etc.).

• Entrance‑storey WC present.

• Controls planned between 450–1,200 mm AFFL.

• No structural ceiling encumbrances hamper access or adaptation.

Why It Matters

Design that complies is good — design that anticipates change is better. With the Tryweryn Bungalow we achieve:

• Beauty & proportion through considered layouts.

• Adaptability via the knock‑out panel and hoist ceiling zones.

• Efficiency & cost control by minimizing service runs.

• Delivery flexibility through a kit of parts mindset, enabling multiple construction routes without locking into a single method.

• Longer lifetime usability to align with people’s changing needs.

The Tryweryn Bungalow is intent with purpose — not just a home, but a living framework that can grow, adapt, and endure.

This bungalow embodies our commitment to creating homes that are functional, graceful, and future‑ready.

Further Reading:

• Lessons from Copenhagen’s Quiet Urbanism

• Should we be building more efficient homes or focusing on delivering homes more efficiently?

• Creu Cartref's Idwal Apartment - a closer look.

• What is good design?

• Opensource innovation

• Is it time to 'draw the line'?

• Volumetric Modular Construction is not the answer .......................

• Streamlining Construction with Industrialisation: Embracing a Kit of Parts Approach

• The Impact of Open Innovation - Lessons from Volvo's Three-Point Safety Belt.

• Reimagining Bayko's kit of parts for Modern Construction

• design or production – what should the construction industry be learning from the automotive industry?