housing

Housing projects which create community, enhance the natural environment, and serve people of all ages and abilities is an area of specialism for our practice.

Housing projects that are led by people who care about their environments and communities have the opportunity to create developments that address the real needs of the people who inhabit them. Such projects encompass cohousing, community-led housing and other innovative forms of developing multiple homes.

We work in a structured to way to involve all stakeholders through co-design processes that empower and enable everyone to have an affordable, sustainable, beautiful home that meets their needs now and in the future.

community led housing

cohousing projects

download our building community guide

innovative housing

community led housing

In the midst of a national housing crisis we need innovation more than ever before.

Bottom up approaches to housing development of the type that people want, in the places they want it, and delivered with, and by, communities is essential. Community-led housing is a crucial part of this. We are proud to have supported a range of community land trusts, cohousing groups, neighbourhood development trusts and housing association partners. Community-Led Housing projects provide homes that are more affordable, more sustainable, and more neighbourly.

astry close

We worked with Ambition Lawrence Weston & local residents to co-design 40 new affordable homes.

tiny house community

This exemplar scheme provides a beacon of hope in increasingly challenging times.

back garden city

A new family home adjacent to the client's parents house.

backland housing

We were approached by our clients to design new housing on land to the rear of their property in a suburb of Bristol.

barney fields

This project is a great example of opportunities for multi tenure housing provision on a single greenfield site.

cohousing

We believe strongly in the approach of cohousing as a more effective, enjoyable, and environmentally sustainable way to live.

The practice was founded on the basis of designing Bridport Cohousing in 2014. Since then, we have been lucky enough to work with an amazing range of inspirational groups. They are seeking to design and develop homes for themselves that enable mutually supportive, interdependent, multi-generational living. We think cohousing could be applicable to many more people who are searching for a better way to live, who dream of a self-build project, but don’t want to do so alone.

turner gardens cohousing

Working in partnership with Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and Bristol City Council we have been assisting them to design 19 Community Led Homes.

wapan houses cohousing

We are working with our clients and a team of specialist consultants on this scheme for a small eco-community within Bristol’s green belt.

bosvale falmouth cohousing

We worked with a cohousing group to provide affordable, sustainable new homes in a cohousing development.

bridge farm cohousing

We are working with Bridge Farm Cohousing to develop a design for their low impact intentional community.

bridport cohousing clt

Bridport Cohousing is a project for 34 new dwellings on a site in the parish of North Allington.

island
cohousing

We are working with Island Cohousing to help the group to address an affordability gap in the Isle of Wight.

falmouth
cohousing

Scheme incorporating a new detached family home for the client, alongside a terrace of 2 and 3 bedroom houses.

multi
house

In June 2023 Barefoot Architects was shortlisted for our submission for the Novers Hill design competition.

innovative housing

Why settle for normal, when you could have special? Starting with the right values adds something special to a housing development (and that in itself adds value). We always seek to explore the brief, push the boundaries, test the planning envelope with skill and efficiency. Working with a range of developer partners we have been able to secure planning successfully, and develop creative, cost-effective approaches to the construction of homes with a little something extra. Each of these projects demonstrates how we can have a positive impact on people’s lives, enhance the community, and ultimately, make a difference and not just a profit.