Welcome back to the UK Build to Rent Q&A series. Following our initial Moda Q&A with Johnny Caddick, we’re sharing our final Design focused, and second in the string of Moda interviews. Please enjoy this Q&A with Tony Brooks, Managing Director of Moda Living.
Moda is the UK’s fastest growing housing brand pioneering positive change in the residential space and setting a precedence in the Build to Rent (“BTR”) sector with its Next Generation Neighbourhoods.
We are making a meaningful and sustained contribution to addressing the UK’s housing crisis with the provision of high quality professionally managed rental homes which are becoming increasingly popular as people adapt to a new Covid-19 way of living. Our Next Generation Neighbourhoods are innovative, pioneering and technology-enabled residential neighbourhoods focused on creating supportive, inclusive, and intergenerational communities. We provide exceptional new places via adaptive building design, extraordinary public realm and the provision of amenity rich facilities which are accessible to all the residents of our new homes with health and well-being at the heart of our approach.
About
With over 35 years in property development, Tony Brooks has a proven track record in delivering complex mixed-use and residential schemes across different markets. In 2013, Tony co-founded Moda. Prior to Moda, he was Founding Director at City Lofts Group PLC, a multi-award-winning nationwide residential developer delivering schemes in excess of £1bn and labelled by The Times as ‘the brand that brought loft living to the UK’. He is also CEO of his family business Generate Land Ltd offering development management services and advice.
Q: What is the most overlooked or under designed aspect of a BTR development and what can you tell us about why it has such importance?
A: It is essential to get the technical details right to ensure smooth running of the asset. The servicing of the building is critical for a comfortable customer experience. Starting with getting the refuse out via chutes on every floor down to the basement refuse stores. And then the transference of this out to the refuse collectors in a quiet and effective way that does not disturb the residents if possible. The mechanical and electrical systems and of course great internet is essential.
At Moda we ensure that mobile phone signals will work in corridors as well as apartments. We also pay particular attention to cooling. This is becoming more essential as we experience more extreme weather situations in the summer. We’re constantly improving the insulation and energy use of the buildings as there is a tendency for tall buildings to heat up around the core. This can create very hot bathrooms from waste shower water for instance. We use MVHR units combined with comfort cooling on some of our new buildings to keep the apartments cool in summer.
Q: If you could recommend 1-3 developments for someone to visit that would provide a masterclass in BTR best practice design – which would they be and what makes them so unique?
Moda Angel Gardens in Manchester was designed from day one as a Grade A institutional BTR asset. I like to think it can compare with any other UK large scale BTR building, and some of the new schemes in Chicago and New York. Our upcoming Neighbourhood in Birmingham;
The Mercian will be even better with a 12m high internal atrium and 200m running track on the podium!
Q: Without mentioning Amenity space – what do you think we will see as defining features of a BTR’s unique selling point once the sector has reached further maturity in areas of steep BTR competition?
A: Without a doubt, quality BTR will change the face of residential living in the UK. This will be driven by a demand from customers and Moda’s desire to give a serendipitous residential experience.
We want residents to feel that they are having a super relaxed time in our buildings, but they don’t need to know how that happens.
This is facilitated by ‘behind the scenes’ technology, such as our partnership with Utopi, which enables us to monitor the performance (and wellness) of all aspects of the buildings, from air quality, temperature, humidity, Co2, right through to music in communal spaces and great Samsung AV displays with information. We supplement this with state-of-the-art furnishings throughout.
Also, the way we aggregate the data we collect through our IoT sensors helps us to monitor busy or quiet spaces in the building and communicating this back to our residents via our App so they can choose to go to the gym, or the lounges and co working spaces in less busy periods. Obviously, provision of WFH spaces is essential, and has always been part of our product, but we will certainly provide even more of this space going forwards.
Q: Often development designs need to be scaled back to achieve better financial metrics – What is the most difficult part of creating a BTR development that both meets the tenants needs and investors budget and how do you ensure you reach that balance?
A: It’s the hardest part of the business! We constantly want to put in more facilities and better-quality fixtures and fittings. We spend 1000’s of hours working with our contractors to get best value for both out residents and investors. We have the experience to know where to spend and where not to overspend and how to do this for maximum comfort of our residents. Other major areas are cladding details and structural solutions, and vertical transport analysis is key (I.e. the performance of the lifts). This comes with many years of experience in designing and building large scale residential projects.
Q: What has been your biggest lesson in BTR design over your career?
A: Cost planning and picking the right contractors is a constant challenge and the most difficult part of the business. Effective delivery of the actual building is the hardest part of the process. So, learning how to pick the right team has been the key. It has taken many years, but at Moda, we now have the best team I have ever worked with, and I take my hat off to all my colleagues. They are second to none and will go the extra mile every time to get it right. Moda is about our people as much as anything.
Q: Just because it’s such a hot topic – to rubbish chute or not to rubbish chute?
A: Chute! See above.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add on a personal note?
A: I think where Moda is now has formed a solid platform of capability, built on experience and track record, but we are only at the start of a great journey and we have so much further to take the Moda business. BTR in the UK is still in its infancy and Moda is constantly looking at new designs and technology to give our customers the best possible residential experience. We want people to stay with us for a lifetime and we will never stop working on that as our key proposition!
Thank you to both Tony & Moda for their time & input to our Q&A series.
Join us next week for our third Moda Q&A where we’ll be speaking with Dan Brooks about BTR management.
UK Build to Rent Team
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