Home sweet home: six architects rethink traditional housing typologies at RIBA
![Architectural sketches and images on display in a gallery](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9YFsAKMhtd7b9ybmnETYWa-415-80.jpg)
What is the future of Britain’s housing? This is the question the RIBA sets out to answer in its newest show, 'At Home in Britain: Designing the House of Tomorrow'. Looking at the different typologies of the genre – including the cottage, terrace house and flat – six contemporary architecture practices were invited to showcase work, specifically commissioned for the exhibition. It all looks at the future of the British home, translating these historic architectural formats into speculative housing solutions.
Taking their cue from material from the RIBA collections, Mecanoo, Edouard Francois, Jamie Fobert Architects, Mae, vPPR and Studio Weave, tackle the exhibition's three residential themes. Spanning overcrowding, affordability and cooperative living, they provide insight into the future possibilities of 21st century life.
‘The cottage’ investigates the familiar British icon, which saw a revival during the country's arts and crafts movement. Now, say the organisers, its acts as the housing choice to satisfy the ‘middle-class fantasy of country idyll’ -– even though it was originally born to provide accommodation to low-wage agricultural workers.
Jamie Fobert Architects, who also worked on the overall exhibition design, reimagines the cottage vernacular inspired by the ‘Fold House’, a 1955 country housing model by Alison and Peter Smithson. The result is a series of bright and open homes nestled within a village. At the same time, Edouard Francois’ vision of the cottage takes the form of a series of homes placed in La Cité de l'Air in Athis-Mons.
‘The flat’ is covered by Studio Weave and Mecanoo. The architects here consider how communal living could present new opportunities within communities and redefine social groupings. Studio Weave designed a sample of co-op marketing material, offering their own vision of how the advertising of these spaces could look like in 2025. The campaign is accompanied by Mecanoo’s presentation of an idealistic cooperative dwelling, heavily influenced by Le Corbusier’s Unité d'Habitation.
The final theme, 'The Terrace', examines the typical row house, which provides accommodation to one-third of the British population. The terrace house is reimagined by vPPR, who propose more shared social spaces by the revisiting of the party wall (the wall, which separates neighbouring buildings). Mae offers their own answer to the same theme via MyTerrace, a terrace house program template inspired by The Building Act of 1774, where residents can select a design based on the size of plot they own. This allows for people to envision a home that fits their individual lifestyle and budget.
The show examines different housing typologies, including the cottage, terrace house and flat. Within this theme, six contemporary architecture practices showcase work specifically commissioned for the exhibition. Pictured here, Jamie Fobert Architects’ answer to the modern cottage, a custom built, affordable, bright and open space
All the works explore and translate these historic typologies into speculative housing solutions. Pictured here, vPPR’s ’Party House’ is designed to create a communal, shared space for neighbours
Each architect tackles one of the exhibitions’ three residential themes, covering overcrowding, affordability, and cooperative living. Pictured here, Edouard Francois’ cottages placed in La cité de l’air in Athis-Mons
The final theme, ’The Terrace’, looks at the typical row house, which provides accommodation to one-third of the British population. Pictured here, Mae’s ’MyTerrace’, a template that allows residents to devise a home customised to their needs
INFORMATION
'At Home in Britain: Designing the House of Tomorrow' runs unil the 29 August. For more information visit the RIBA's website
ADDRESS
Royal Institute of British Architects
66 Portland Place
London
W1B 1AD
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Take off: Mathieu Lehanneur's Olympic Cauldron rises into the Parisian night sky
The Paris 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony was closed with a soaring cauldron spectacle that will go down in history
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Phaidon’s new Graphic Classics is a lavish greatest hits of graphic design
Graphic Classics is a compendium of seven centuries of visual culture, from the everyday and ephemeral to visionary works that reshaped our world
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Birley Chocolate hits the sweet ’n’ chic spot in London’s Chelsea
The new Birley Chocolate shop, a sibling to Birley Bakery, is a confection of colour as delicious as its finely crafted goods
By Melina Keays Published
-
Tour the Natural History Museum’s new gardens, a Jurassic lark in London
The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled two new gardens, with resident dinosaurs, after a transformation led by architects Feilden Fowles
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Drama Republic moves into a colourful, handcrafted workspace in London
For the new creative HQ of production company Drama Republic, Emil Eve Architects remodels a warehouse into office space in London’s Holborn
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Hideaway House in London features timber panelling inspired by the New York hospitality scene
The elegantly refurbished Hideaway House by Studio McW in London features timber panelling inspired by Philip Johnson’s The Four Seasons Restaurant
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
2024 RIBA National Awards: browse the list of worthy winners
The 2024 RIBA National Awards have been announced, comprising 26 projects across the UK
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Modern Buildings’ tours south-east London through a guide to post-war Blackheath and Greenwich
‘Modern Buildings: Blackheath and Greenwich’ is a detailed survey of a London borough’s rich trove of new modernist architecture
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Triangle House invites you to its inner world of colourful surprises
Triangle House by Artefact is a private home in Epsom, outside London, combining Caribbean style, colour and functionality
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tour the refreshed Saint Andrew Holborn: an icon reveals its crisp new interior in London
DaeWha Kang reimagines Saint Andrew Holborn church through a sensitive architectural solution that blends tradition and modernity in London
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A Suffolk house by Studio Bark pairs a fresh visual language with low-energy design
Suffolk house Water Farm is off-the-grid but defiantly on the map, a bold new object in the landscape with a strong visual impact and minimal carbon footprint
By Jonathan Bell Published