Title
Water efficiency and reuse in housing: design guide for a changing climate
Year published
2025
Authors
Tom Dollard and Rory Olcayto, Pollard Thomas Edwards
Editorial support
Cath Hassell, ech2o (model specification) and Saffron Corcoran, Thames Water (case studies)
Editor
Rory Olcayto
Design
Tim Metcalfe, Pollard Thomas Edwards
Illustrations
Grecia Castillo, Pollard Thomas Edwards
Project manager
Richard Broad, Good Homes Alliance
The Good Homes Alliance (GHA), in partnership with industry leaders and supported by the Enabling Water Smart Communities project and the UK Water Efficiency Collaborative Fund, has launched a new publication - ‘Water Efficiency and Reuse in Housing: Design Guide for a Changing Climate’.
Developed for architects, developers, planners, and housing associations, the guide, authored and edited by architect Pollard Thomas Edwards, provides case studies, best practice, and industry insight to respond to the urgent need for ‘water-smart’ homes due to mounting water stress in the UK.
The guide offers practical, evidence-based design strategies to help housing professionals deliver on emerging policy and environmental imperatives. It includes model specifications for fittings, layout, and reuse systems - all geared toward meeting or exceeding the government’s 110 litres per person per day target. With the Environment Act and DEFRA consultations set to tighten regulations, the publication arrives at a critical moment.
As water scarcity begins to stall planning in regions like Sussex and Cambridgeshire, the guide moves beyond policy rhetoric and provides workable design and engineering approaches that can be applied today. It follows Waterwise’s established water neutrality hierarchy: reduce, reuse, offset - ensuring developers are equipped to respond to local and national demands.
Water scarcity is one of the UK’s most urgent challenges. Our water supply can no longer meet rising demand. As a society, we’ve doubled our water usage over the past 60 years, and the population has increased by 16 million since 1960. So there are more of us than ever before, we're using more than our fair share of water - and we've caused a climate emergency, so there's less water available when we need it! To get our water use down to the lower levels we need, we will need ALL homes and businesses to be water-efficient - not just the kit in them, but also the people using it! This guide is a vital step forwards in that goal.
Nicci Russell, CEO, Waterwise
Six detailed case studies are central to the guide. They showcase water-efficient housing in action at a variety of scales, from luxury developments in London to high-performance council housing and zero-carbon pilot homes. These examples demonstrate a range of approaches - from smart monitoring and fittings-based reductions to rainwater harvesting and community-scale greywater recycling.
In tandem, the guide explores the broader cultural and behavioural barriers to efficient water use, featuring commentaries from experts at the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), PTE, Watergate and Waterwise.
This is the second publication in GHA’s Designing for a Changing Climate series, following its well-received 2023 shading guide. As with its sister title, the new water guide aims to drive change in design practice, policy, and supply chains alike.
Who has supported the guide?
The guide has been authored by Tom Dollard and Rory Olcayto, PTE, with editorial, design and project management support from Cath Hassell, ech2o; Saffron Corcoran, Thames Water; Tim Metcalfe, PTE; Grecia Castillo, PTE and Richard Broad, Good Homes Alliance.
With thanks to the Enabling Water Smart Communities (EWSC) project and the UK Water Efficiency Collaborative Fund for supporting the publication of this guide.
The project team is indebted to the generous contributions of the project steering group which includes representatives from Anglian Water, Aquality, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, DEFRA, ECD Architects, Essex City Council, Future Homes Hub, Horsham District Council, Introba, Islington Council, Raven Housing Trust, SNG, Thakeham Homes, Thames Water, TOWN, University of Bath, University of Manchester, Watergate, Waterwise and Water UK.
