Build-to-rent (BTR) as a sector has gone from pipeline to online, with the number of completed BTR homes now standing at over 43,000 according to the latest research from the British Property Federation and Savills. While many initial BTR schemes were often converted for-sale developments, a new generation of BTR developments is arriving that have been designed from the ground up purely for rent.For the investors backing the sector, the key metric in judging an asset’s performance is the net operating income (NOI) – or in other words, the rent collected minus the costs of running a building.To discuss to what extent the design of BTR schemes can make operations more efficient, and in turn, boost NOI, Blackstock Consulting brought together Assael Architecture co-founder Russell Pedley, Ringley Group managing director Mary-Anne Bowring, who has advised a number of BTR entrants, and Jamie Snary, asset management director at Apache Capital Partners, which is delivering 7,500 BTR homes across the UK with Moda Living.