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We ask Ted Stevens, Rural Urban Synthesis Society (RUSS) trustee, about an innovative south London community housing project that recently gained planning consent
This hands-on community self build in Lewisham will create affordable and sustainable homes in the London borough
How did RUSS start and what is the group’s vision for the future?
Back in the 1980s, architect Walter Segal pioneered a self build method based on simple home designs that were functional to the residents and easy to construct. Two projects – of 10 houses each – were erected in the London Borough of Lewisham. Some of the original residents still live there and it’s their children who have decided to follow in their parents’ footsteps and embark on a similar project to create the homes they need. RUSS started when Kareem Days – who grew up in Walters Way – got together with his friends to plan a self build community.