The UK government has revealed the six finalists for its Home of 2030 initiative.
Launched in November 2019, the competition has been designed to encourage the best and brightest talents of the design industry to create environmentally sustainable, practical and scalable ideas for future homes.
A particular focus in deciding a winner will be on designs which support people to live independent, fulfilling lives as society ages.
The six teams on the final list are:
• Changebuilding, Perpendicular Architecture & humblebee, with ECOSystems Tech, COCIS and Arup. The team's Positive+ House seeks to maximise contribution to society and the environment, not just to minimise construction’s negative impact.
• HLM Architects with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Green Build, whose homes will be built using interchangeable parts with other homes, creating a circular economy in which little is wasted.
• Igloo Regeneration with Useful Projects, Expedition Engineers and Mawson Kerr Architects, for their proposed homes with simple frame structures and standardised components set amid walkable, vibrant neighbourhoods.
• Openstudio Architects, for its proposal for three building elements (a standardised housing module, an open ‘Loft’ and a circulation, storage and shared module) to be used in combination with three landscape elements (communal green space, small private gardens or upper level balconies and terraces, and front gardens) to create combinations of sustainable, age-friendly spaces.
• Outpost Architects and team, whose Janus home is constructed from 98 per cent organic biomass material (primarily timber and straw).
• Studio OPEN for promoting community and caring for others through a central garden shared between four homes that are built with locally sourced materials and timber construction methods to reduce environmental impact.
A winner will be chosen and, together with other selected finalists, will be introduced to Homes England development partners to explore the possibility of developing bids for a series of homes on Homes England land.
The six finalists have each received £40,000 of funding to help them develop detailed plans.
The announcement of the finalists follows the recent launch (in August 2020) of Planning for the Future – the Government’s overhaul of the planning system to deliver more high-quality, sustainable homes.
The reforms include our commitment to making tree-lined streets the norm and an ambition that new ‘zero carbon ready’ homes delivered under the new system will not require any future retrofitting.
“This competition demonstrates the best of British design being brought to bear on a key issue for today, and future generations: delivering homes that are good for the planet and that promote healthy, independent living for older generations," said housing minister Christopher Pincher.
The winner of this competition will set the standard for the homes of the future and all six finalists have already made an exciting contribution to the designs we will need in the UK and around the world.”
Alan Jones, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), added: “The UK urgently needs a broad mix of affordable, age-friendly and sustainable housing – and these shortlisted proposals provide exactly that.
"Through the clever configuration of private and public space, natural light and ventilation, intelligent use of materials and technologies – these cost-effective, low carbon homes show what’s possible when architects collaborate.”
To find out more about the Home 2030 competition, click here.
