A free exhibition exploring housing standards in six countries
Interested in a guided tour? Click here.
What does a typical home in England look like?
How does it compare to housing in other countries? How are these homes designed? And, what is it like to live in them?
Based on a three-year study of recently built affordable and subsidised housing in England, Chile, China, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, this exhibition explores these questions through 37 in-depth case studies that document typical homes and the lived experiences of their residents.
The exhibition shows how regulatory approaches, housing markets, and social and cultural norms shape housing expectations, perceptions, standards, and the types and quality of housing built. This study is presented through a rich visual, spatial, and social analysis of affordable housing, including:
- physical models
- drawings
- photographs
- 3D interior scans
- videos and drone footage
- home-use studies through live-motion tracking
- interviews of residents and housing professionals
Click to find out more about the Housing Standardisation project.
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
What can we learn from existing housing standards?
The intimate studies of homes are contextualised by a comparison of housing systems and standards that explains how housing design regulations, regulatory cultures, housing markets, and socio-spatial norms define the governance of housing design and impact everyday housing routines and experiences.
The exhibition looks at the role of regulations and standards, with a particularly focus space standards as a measure of housing design quality. It investigates why these standards are often contextual and subjective rather than universal, and how they inform design decisions. The exhibition also questions the effectiveness and underlying motivations of these standards, asking whether they improve or simply standardise the way we live.
What does "affordable housing" mean?
With affordable housing frequently built at scale using standardised dwelling types and construction methods, it is often more ‘designed’ by regulations and standards than by architects. As a result, it commonly relies on established house types favoured by volume housebuilders and housing associations.
The exhibition Housing Standardisation: Who Designs our Homes and How Do We Live? explores what ‘well-designed’, ‘housing quality’, and ‘affordable housing’ mean to various housing stakeholders, especially residents – highlighting how these definitions and perceptions are deeply contextual.
Organisers and Credit
The exhibition is curated by Sam Jacoby, Lucia Alonso, and Seyithan Özer from the Royal College of Art with Alvaro Arancibia, Consuelo Albornoz, and Claudia Chavarria from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The project Housing Standardisation: The Architecture of Regulations and Design Standards is funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council.
This is an exhibition not to be missed, and you'll find it located in the Window Gallery of the Building Centre.
The Building Centre is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Nearby Tube stations are Tottenham Court Road & Goodge Street. The exhibition is fully accessible and there is a cafe located on the ground floor. Please ask if you require any further assistance.
