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? This exhibition explores these questions through in-depth international and local case-studies of a range of homes. Through photographs, models and plans, it considers how housing design is shaped by policy regulations, local cultures and expectations and lived experiences of residents.
Part 1: Housing Standardisation in Six Countries
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 design governance processes, regulatory approaches, housing markets, and social and cultural norms shape housing expectations, perceptions, standards, and the types and quality of housing that are built. It examines the role of design governance and design regulations and standards, with a particular focus on 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 designdecisions. It also questions the effectiveness and underlying motivations of these standards, asking whether they genuinely improve – or simply standardise – the way we live.
As affordable housing is frequently built at scale using standardised dwelling types and construction methods, it is often more shaped by regulations and standards than by architects. As a result, it commonly relies on established house types used by volume housebuilders and housing associations. The exhibition explores what ‘well-designed’, ‘housing quality’, and ‘affordable housing’ mean to different housing stakeholders – especially residents – highlighting how these definitions and perceptions are deeply contextual.
Part 2: Housing Standardisation in the North East of England
This part of the exhibition explores how architectural practices and their clients use housing standardisation to achieve quality and affordable housing in the North East of England. Case studies of current housing projects in the region reveal how house types and related design guidance – produced by architects and their clients – are adapted during the design and development process to meet mandatory national standards and their local interpretations, promote voluntary good-practice standards, and respond to local context and housing markets.
This exhibition and related event series form part of an ongoing research project that seeks to understand how architects and housing associations contribute to housing quality and develop design expertise through shared design practice and participation in design governance.
