A free exhibition exploring housing space standards in six countries
What does a typical English home look like?
How does the housing space in England compare to homes in other countries? Furthermore, who designs these homes? 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, Switzerland, and Spain, this exhibition explores these questions through 37 in-depth case studies of homes and the lived experiences of their residents.
The study revealed how social expectations, cultural norms, demographics, and issues of maintenance and control over one’s home not only shape perceptions of housing, but its qualities, and needs. Click to find out more about the housing standardisation project.
This exhibition offers a rich visual, spatial, and social analysis of living in affordable housing today through:
- physical models
- drawings
- photographs
- drone footage
- 3D interior scans
- interviews
- live-motion tracking
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
© Housing Standardisation 2024
What can we learn from existing housing?
These intimate studies are framed by a comparison of housing systems and design governance. This includes historical research into housing design regulations and an examination of how regulatory cultures, housing systems, and housing markets inform the governance of housing design and, consequently, the type and quality of housing supply.
The exhibition focuses on the role of regulations and standards, particularly space standards, and how they aim to ensure housing quality, sustainability, wellbeing, and safety. But how effective are they? Do they improve or standardise the way we live?
What does "affordable housing" mean?
With affordable housing often built at scale using standardised dwelling types, sizes, and construction methods, it is designed more by regulations and standards than by architects, relying on established house types favoured by volume housebuilders and housing associations.
The exhibtion, Housing Standardisation: Who Designs our Homes and How Do We Live? explores what ‘well-designed’ and ‘affordable’ means to different housing stakeholders and, more importantly, to residents themselves – and how these definitions and perceptions are highly contextual.
Organisers and Credit
The exhibition is organised by Sam Jacoby, Lucia Alonso and Seyithan Özer from the Royal College of Art with the help of Alvaro Arancibia. Consuelo Albornoz and Claudia Chavarria from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Funder: 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, 8 am to 6pm. Nearby Tube stations are Tottenham Court Road & Goodge Street. The exhibition is fully accesible and there is a cafe located on the ground floor. Please ask if you require any further assistance.
