Aire Design with Jig, were the core to a multi-disciplinary team for this project. We were appointed by LHT (Liverpool Housing Trust), following a national competition among consultants, to be the Master planners and Architects for the regeneration of the ?Boot Estate? in Norris Green, Liverpool. While design / construction quality was an important item on the assessment sheets used by the panel, the ability to work with the community was high on their agenda and Aire Design?s approach ? to work closely and regularly with residents across the whole spectrum of issues to be faced ? won out. That spectrum involved the following key issues: demolition of 1500 dwellings due to technical failure ? decanting and temporary re-housing ? the topic of sustainability ? the creation of a new masterplan ? the design and character of streets and spaces ? technologies for the future, but ?future proofed? from the type of technical tragedy that afflicted the existing dwellings ? visits to precedents ? the design and adaptability of dwellings ? internal air quality / insulation standards ? and robust landscape options. As an initial part of the regeneration of this large 'windfall' site, new house types were designed to meet the needs of both housing association and private developers, in a manner that will integrate differing tenures. These houses have prefabricated 'core' construction, a range of options both externally and internally for individual expression, the facility to be in terrace or less dense formats and the ability to provide, 'very good' 'EcoHome' ratings on the BRE's method of assessment. Following the initial masterplanning work, we have since designed and constructed the first phase of the social ?shared ownership? properties. These have been constructed embracing the 16 design criteria of life time homes, have achieved an ?EcoHome? rating of ?very good?, and have been approved as Secured by Design (subject to inspection on completion) by the Merseyside Police Architectural Liaison Unit. Our Lead Designer and Head of Research, Professor Clelland has many years experience with sustainable design in the Social Housing Sector. We have strong links through him, with Liverpool John Moores University and use this link to research new methods of constructing in this country and across Europe and their effect on costs and time. We have used this knowledge base most recently at Norris Green. Here we used the research of the University to determine which method of construction was the most cost effective when used in Liverpool. The resulting large format thin joint masonry core with long spanning intermediate floors and demountable steel partitions has been very successful in the following ways: ? Speed of Erection ? Quality of finish ? Minimising waste ? Flexibility of Design Options To ensure a sense of ownership in the completed project, the 1500 families in Norris Green affected by the demolition of their homes organized themselves into residents associations, the representatives of which were members of the steering committee, to which Aire Design/Jig reported and worked. At these sessions the ?layers? of workshop consultations were agreed and eleven 2-day open events were put in hand. The topics presented were: SUSTAINABILITY; URBAN ORIENTATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STREETS AND SQUARES; MIXED USES AND MIXED TENURES ?SIDE BY SIDE?; LANDSCAPE AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN DRAINAGE; MANAGEMENT ALTERNATIVES; LOCAL PLAY AREAS, SOCIAL SPACES AND ?DEFENSIBLE SPACE?; DWELLING DESIGN AND ADAPTABILITY; APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES AND ?ECOHOMES?; INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT AND ?HEALTHY AIR?; THE DEVELOPED MASTERPLAN; THE KEY 11 HOUSETYPES FOR THE ?AFFORDABLE HOUSING?. The methodology used included the presentation and explication of explanatory graphic panels and PowerPoint presentations every 90 minutes as ?core? activities. Between these presentations, groups of 12 gathered around tables and worked with one of the Aire Design/Jig multi-disciplinary team. The first phase is now complete and we are awaiting approval to proceed with phase 2.