IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Smart homes of the future should not be defined by technical sophistication but by how they might address issues of the extra-ordinary, and interventions will only be successful if they fit with the complexity of our lives. Traditional structures of every-day life and the spaces we inhabit are being challenged. Increased life expectancy, a global pandemic and technology pervading every aspect of life is blurring boundaries of domesticity and work life, and where healthcare is delivered. Parker Morris’s UK government report (1961) was an effort to improve living conditions following World War 2. There was expectation that homes should offer more than basic technical requirements with a focus on usability and the lived experience to enable people to express the fulness of their lives. The report became compulsory standards for all new homes built by UK councils and influenced those built by others. The report was replaced in 1980 largely by technical and space standards. The authors research promotes a return to shape future homes by how they relate to people’s lives to inform ‘a new creative response to the requirements of our age’. The paper describes a multi-method research programme comprised of; visits to older people’s homes, a residency at the Neutra institute (USA) that involved ‘Case Study house’ visits, studies of iconic social housing, interviews with architects, and a series of artefacts created by the author and exhibited at Architectural Biennale Venice that morph archetypal forms and challenge traditional furniture typologies to create hybrid ambiguous artefacts that reflect the new quotidian. The research has revealed the importance of, Age friendly homes (ageing in place), Adaptable homes (to support life-transitions), Intergenerational homes (that meet different needs), and Homes to support human flourishing (spaces to live not just survive).