British Pavilion
The British Pavilion was a fascinating bit of work; with both innovative and tangible dimensions.
The overarching message was that we should stop designing static homes for transient lives - we have become so obsessed with the traditional role of the home and the regulations built up around them (family structure, ownership, use), that they now impose on our contemporary lifestyles.
Instead, the pavilions suggests that we should begin designing spaces / homes based on the duration of use, as opposed to the (now out-dated) spatial functions taking place within them. After all, how often is a single bed apartment being used to live, eat, sleep + work simultaneously?
As part of this, the pavilion presents 5 new models for domestic life, each focusing on a different timescale; Hours, Days, Months, Years + Decades.
Most interestingly, each model is presented as a 1:1 scale interior - allowing visitors to fully interact and experience the proposed solutions. Whatsmore, each model has been developed in an “intensely pragmatic way, working with architects, developers, artists, photographer,s writers, fashion designers, and financial institutions”
As the curators state:
Life is changing; we must design for it.
While each model will be analysed separately, the following provides a brief overview of the proposed solutions.
Hours: Own nothing, share everything.
This focuses on the importance of co-sharing of resources across occupants, thus making homes more affordable, space-efficient and multi-functional. After all, sharing can be a luxury, not a compromise.
Below: a shared wardrobe accessible by all residents to remove the need for multiple items (tools, cleaning furniture, exercise equipment etc).
Days: Home is where the Wi-Fi is.
This focuses on the importance of personalisation and home comforts in a society where people are constantly moving between places, thus making the physical home less isolated. After all, your personalised space feels familiar anywhere, but generic space everywhere feels uncanny.
Below: customisable spheres provide a safe haven for occupants, ensuring a familiar cocoon in all locations.
Months: A house without housework.
This focuses on the importance of co-habitation between occupants, providing each with a private core for sleeping, washing and preparing food while leaving the remaining spaces open and public for a more connected life. Afterall, a well-organised communal household allows the ideal balance of private enclosure and social contact.
Below: inside the private core, providing space for sleeping, washing and preparing food.
Years: Space for living, not speculation.
This focuses on the importance of “shell construction” of homes, rather than full fit-outs. In doing so, the home becomes much more affordable and allows occupants to customise from the outset, Afterall, a majority home buyers replace a majority of fixtures and fittings upon first moving in.
Below: example of a bathroom designed for “shell construction” in the home.
Decades: A room without functions.
This focuses on the importance of functionless spaces, whereby instead of cramming specific programmes into the smallest area possible, the home becomes a series of generous, adaptable, useful spaces. Thus, the home has no predetermined rooms, but a diverse range of spatial conditions that suggest different activities. After all, when cultural norms change (as they have), predetermined spaces can quickly become impractical or redundant.
Below: an autonomous structure with both internal and external zones.