Single-person households are already the dominant group in Western Europe and North America, and this will be the fastest growing profile worldwide until 2030. Location, an attractive neighbourhood at ground level, and great transport connections are becoming a crucial point of differentiation for buyers. Sustainable design that includes innovative building services engineering to ensure better environmental comfort and decrease energy expenses is becoming the standard.

We Make Commercial Sense while Improving Quality of Life 

WSP’s experience in the residential sector ranges from single family homes to the planning of entire neighbourhoods. We help developers, home builders, government and municipal authorities, and property managers to deliver successful and profitable residential developments and their associated infrastructure. Our experience in the residential sector encompasses private housing and apartments, social housing, student accommodation, and urban communities.

When working on a residential project we strive to create spaces that improve quality of life for communities and individuals, but also deliver value to our clients through a good return on investment and brand recognition, and increase the appeal of towns and cities through the creation of thriving neighbourhoods. We design residential buildings with the long-term view so they are able to adapt to future needs.

Support Throughout the Residential Development Process

We support our clients at every stage of the development process. We steer residential schemes smoothly through the complex planning process thanks to our knowledge of national and local planning laws and sustainability regulations as well as our specialist skills in public consultation and stakeholder engagement. We also help clients in overcoming land shortages, maximize the potential of developable land and minimize risk, while creating desirable homes.

From Retrofit to High-Rise

Our projects, ranging from affordable housing complexes to high-end luxury facilities, include major city regeneration schemes, iconic high-rise developments, new sustainable towns, and retrofits of existing homes.

We helped 2,500 residents of the 1960s Hilda Housing Cooperative in Malmö, to retrofit their homes not only to dramatically improve their energy efficiency, but to enable them to be energy self-sufficient within 10 years.

We have also worked on a number of luxury residential tall towers such as Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Avenue in New York, the tallest residential building in the world for which we provided both structural and buildings services engineering; Daniel Libeskind’s Złota 44 in Warsaw; and South Quay Plaza in London by architects Foster + Partners, to which we are contributing with a wide range of engineering services.

Sustainable Residential Projects

As sustainable design pioneers, we are involved in a number of high-profile exemplar residential and mixed-use energy-efficient, low-carbon developments.

In Sweden, we are working on Stockholm Royal Seaport. It will become a vibrant waterfront community with ambitious targets that give the project its world-leading sustainability credentials. In South Africa, we are consultants on Menlyn Maine in Pretoria, dubbed as Africa’s first green city bringing together residential, office and retail space, while in the UK we provided services for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games Athletes Village which is set to become a 1,400-home mixed-tenure community.

Covering All Areas of Residential Planning and Design 

We provide multi-disciplinary expertise in all areas of residential planning, design, and construction, including building engineering, city planning, economics, community engagement, site investigations, environmental consultancy, water management, sustainable transport solutions, and infrastructure planning.

As experienced consultants in transport and infrastructure planning, design and delivery, we know how to create viable and popular developments where the number of housing units is balanced by the benefits of good accessibility, public transport links, and attractive landscaping incorporating green space and water management features.

As champions of the integrated design process, we are adept at leading entire design teams to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency, working in close cooperation with our clients from start to finish.