Why talking to the end user is key

I don’t think anyone would argue the importance of building beautiful. The industry debate about the impact of our environment on how we feel is not new. Society might not associate space and design directly with health and well-being, but they know that looking at areas that are visually appealing makes them feel better than staring at rows of grey, homogeneous blocks.

Whether you agree with the authors of Build Beautiful, the collection of essays published by Policy Exchange last week, or the sentiment of last year’s Building More Building Beautiful report, the central theme of both of highlighting the importance of raising the standard of new homes and places across the country, is something we should all champion.

Today, the design, function and safety of our buildings are under scrutiny. With society’s continued scepticism towards developers, the brands that have purpose and want to make a difference need to talk to those beyond their own industry. Biting at their heels are household brands Amazon and Google who are building relationships with society and busy exploring how to build prefabricated homes.

From a communications point of view, it is more crucial than ever that businesses across the built environment turn their narrative towards society and share with it their ethos and ambitions to build beautiful, sustainable places and spaces. Not just to achieve planning permission or sell homes, but because they share a vision to develop structures and spaces that are socially cohesive, enrich lives and are safe to live in.

These visions are often discussed, but the Industry has a habit of talking to itself. Those brands that genuinely want to deliver on this sentiment are doing themselves a disservice by not talking to their end-user and building a reputation for their ambition to develop for the greater good.