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THE 2030 HOME

A Beautifully Rich History

We’ve always had great homes in the UK. The Iron Age roundhouses provided an elegant and practical solution for pre-historic settlers. Striking ‘black and white’ effect 15th and 16th century Tudor homes shocked and amazed. The classically inspired Georgian architecture brought us streets full of poise, elegance and harmony. Eclectic Victorian homes of the 19th century took us to new technical and artistic heights. Energy hungry modern architecture of the 20th century brought us clean lines, open plan floor plates and lots of natural light. But what is the architecture of now? What is the home of the future? What legacy will this age leave behind?

Into The Future

The aim of our proposal is to bring together everything we’ve learnt from the history of housing in the UK and Europe going back to the Iron Age. Cherry picking from the past whilst integrating what we know from current research on building materials, communities, inclusiveness, modern lifestyles, psychology, digital technologies and manufacturing technologies from the UK, Europe and around the world. Putting it all together to create healthy, enjoyable, inclusive and environmentally friendly places for people to live.

An Introduction

The 2030 Home will create all of its own energy for cooking, heating, cooling and electrical equipment. It will recycle water where possible and will be built for disassembly so that it may be easily recycled at the end of its life. It will be built from mostly natural or recycled materials and any energy used in the building’s construction, renovation or demolition will be offset by the energy created by the building during its life. The 2030 Home will be flexible and accessible to all. Using off site construction, it will be built quickly, efficiently and to the highest of standards whilst also minimising costs and waste. The 2030 Home will encourage intergenerational interaction and allow opportunities for people to come together. We present to you the Home of 2030. A radical, ambitious and practical solution to homebuilding for now and for the future.

HOUSING TYPES

The 2030 Home will have a catalogue of carefully composed housing types to accommodate the range of individuals, families, groups and couples currently living in the UK. The 2030 Home types will accommodate all ages.

The 2030 Home will allow for flexibility, alteration and change. Standardised extensions and additions can be added to the 2030 Home to accommodate changing needs, chosen from a selection of options in the 2030 Home Catalogue. An extension pod can be added to the back of the house type for more space at ground floor. A self-contained garden room can be placed in a garden with pre-approved planning permission. Greenhouse pods for growing food and loft extension pods can be added to the homes and will be part of the catalogue of standard upgrades or changes occupants can make to their home with minimal fuss and cost. In addition to this, standardised lifts or stair-lifts will form part of the catalogue and can be easily retrofitted into the design. With an ageing population and people living with their families for longer, this added flexibility will empower people to maximise the home that they have to suit their changing needs.

Groups and individuals will be able to customise their home from an online palette of details and layouts. Developers will be able to up-sell enhanced features whilst giving homeowners that personal design touch to their home. They will also have the option to work with an interior designer to develop the inside of their home. Augmented Reality open days using Microsoft’s Hololens 2 will give potential buyers an opportunity to see their project in-situ on site using the latest in holographic technology.

‘Up-selling’ may also include purchasing home gadgets with the home to suit individual needs. Homebuyers may choose to invest in a Stevie 2 robot (who recently made the front cover of Time Magazine), an AI robot which has been developed by scientists in Dublin to ease the loneliness of those living alone at home, they may upgrade to an Internet Of Things kitchen or select a robot home vacuum cleaner.

In addition to the standard housing type, a selection of homes will be given their own identity. For example, a 2030 Sun Home will have additional roof lights and use infrared radiators for heating (powered by PV’s). A Biodiverse Home may provide nest sites in the facade for birds, have a wildflower green roof and a greenhouse in the garden as standard. A 2030 Earth Home will come with rammed earth flooring (poured adobe floor) plastered walls made from natural mixes. A 2030 Tech Home will come with all the latest digital technologies integrated into the home. One of the criticisms of modern housing from the public is that they all feel and look the same. Giving the 2030 Homes a more personal identity people can identify with will provide an opportunity to inspire the homebuyer.

Once the 2030 Home housing types are established. Other architects may choose to use the design templates for their own projects and make adjustments to meet their needs while the typical homes and details in the official 2030 Home Catalogue will go through continual design reviews with architects and built environment experts.

Off Site Construction

One of the aims of the 2030 Home is to bring together low costs, speed of construction, cost certainty, reliable build quality, economies of scale and design quality into one build system. The housing will be built off site in factory conditions. All offsite construction will need to meet BOPAS accreditation, be BBA certified and backed by a NHBC warranty. The details for the 2030 home will be based on existing off-site timber frame systems that meet this accreditation. We will work with the manufactures to develop a system that meets the requirements of the 2030 Home, aiming to integrate natural and low embodied carbon materials where possible.

Materials

The 2030 Home will be built from natural, breathable low carbon materials such as sheep’s wool, rubber, straw, hemp, stone or timber. Natural materials are preferred for their contribution to air quality, low embodied carbon, smell and tactile qualities. Natural materials can also age well if used correctly. Materials high in VOC’s and formaldehyde won’t be used in the 2030 Home to help protect the long-term health of the occupants.

Recycled materials will be used where possible in the design. But just as importantly, the components of the modular design will be constructed so that elements can easily be reused at the end of the building’s life.

A national database of all the raw materials exporters and stockists will be collected and mapped out to identify the materials that will need the least amount of travel to get to the building site. This, along with other design and contextual factors will help the designers choose what housing types and materials would be the most appropriate for the project.

The 2030 Home Book

A 2030 Home Book will be given to each household, giving them information about their local community and how they can get involved with activities in their area if they wish. Empowering the homeowner with local knowledge, it will provide information and guidance on topics such as healthy transport options, local volunteering opportunities and local food networks. Any inter-generational learning or socialising projects carried out by local charities or schools will also be listed in the 2030 Home Book. Information and guidance on how to use the building to maximise its efficiency and performance will also be present in the book. These knowledge banks will be tailored for each building and will be an extremely important part of the building design, helping the occupants take advantage of the opportunities in the area whilst also helping them maximise the thermal efficiency and air quality of their home.

Design

There will be a fabric first approach to energy saving in the 2030 Home. U-values recommended in the LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide will be achieved. The orientation of the homes will play an important role in the fabric first approach to low energy design. Where possible the homes will be oriented to maximise efficiency from solar gain. There will be variations to standard housing types to suit different housing orientations. The homes will be designed to maximise natural daylight for resident well-being and enjoyment whilst maintaining thermal efficiency. All 2030 Homes will be built to meet Approved Document M4(2) as a minimum for accessibility.

A whole life carbon assessment will take place at the beginning and at the end of each 2030 Home project. Any necessary offsets will be generated from on-site renewable energy generation.

Colour will be used wherever possible to promote balance and well-being for the homeowners. Using the latest research in colour psychology, rooms will be painted in colours that promote positive states of mind. Occupants will be given a guide to the effect different colours have on our minds in the 2030 Home Book based on the latest scientific research.

Photovoltaics will play a big role on the roof of the 2030 homes, these will take the form of either an integrated tile system such as the Ergosun integrated roof tile, solar panels or a flexible sheet applied onto the roof. Flat or pitched green and non-green roofs will all play a role in the 2030 Home design.

Branding

Branding is an important part of the 2030 Home concept. The 2030 Home will become a trusted household name brand. Everyone will know that all 2030 Homes are accessible, net zero carbon, healthy, beautiful and geared towards strong communities and social connections. A national advertising campaign will put the brand into the UK’s consciousness. Everyone will want to live in a 2030 Home. Celebrity and social media influencer endorsements will add further to the desirability of the 2030 Home brand.

World of Data

The 2030 Home will be designed to be net zero in whole life carbon according to the Green Building Councils definition outlined in their 2019 report Net Zero Carbon Buildings: A Framework Definition. However, this claim will be judged not on the design but on the data from the building in use.

All homes will be fitted with sensors which will collect information on air quality, heating, cooling, lighting and movement using a system such as Niko Home Control or smart energy system from Geo for energy or something like the Netatmo smart indoor air quality monitor or Airthings Plus for air quality. This information will be accessible to the end user in the form of apps and digital controls which will help the user understand how they are using energy in their home and the air quality of their home. They can also upload and connect this information to the apple home kit. This information will also be collected for the homebuilder, designers, manufacturers and the public to better understand the performance of the buildings. A development or building will only be able to claim to be net zero carbon once the data has been assessed after a year of the building in use. Data collected from the home will be used to guide design development for future upgrades to the housing types.

As well as objective data collected from sensors evaluating the performance of the buildings, occupant satisfaction surveys will be carried out using the soft landings framework as a guide. Data collection will also be used to aid people who may be physically vulnerable. The 2030 Home will incorporate technologies such as the Walabot HOME which uses radio frequency sensor technology to detect if someone has taken a fall in the home and Kemuri sockets which can help people live independently at home for longer.

Water/Drainage

Bath, shower and hand basin discharge water will be recycled and re-used for flushing toilets, washing machines and watering garden plants using a grey water recycling system. An underground tank will be located in the garden where water can be stored and treated. A rainwater harvesting system can also be introduced to compliment this system if needed. Sustainable drainage systems will be explored for each site. 

The Future of Work and Mix

Trends in work are showing that more and more people are working from home. The 2030 Home will allow for flexibility in the plan to create home working spaces.

Connecting people in the sharing economy and making the most of the resources we have will play a big role in the future of how we live. Online platforms such as Office Riders facilitate peer-to-peer renting which connects homeowners with people looking for workspace. Services such as these will be listed in the 2030 Home Book. This type of sharing economy encourages local people to connect with each other and form local bonds. A common complaint about working from home is not having a physical separation between work life and life outside work. Peer-to-peer renting can be a good solution.

Small scale, membership-based office space is also part of the proposal. Institutions such as Second Home and Soho House have shown how important membership spaces for freelancers and entrepreneurs can be. These spaces can be integrated into the housing mix promoting people working in the local community to come together and work in the same space for a small membership cost. Accommodating local office space will also reduce the distance between home and office for many people promoting sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling.

 Flexibility of use will also be important for these new membership workspaces. Intergenerational activities such as community IT and internet training for the older generation can take place in these spaces. They can also act as meeting places for local groups such as book clubs or for local arts such as art classes and life drawing or health and well-being classes like dance or yoga. It can be a place for people to play games such as pool or table tennis, board games or video games. These spaces will be multifunctional and for everyone in the community. The 2030 Book will have links to charities who may want to use the space such as OpenAge who organise events championing an active life for older people.

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

Heat recovery will play a crucial role in the 2030 Home. Wastewater heat recovery systems (WWHRS) will use the drained hot water from showers to heat up the cold water coming into the shower. Mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) powered by on site photovoltaics will be used for ventilation but occupants will also be able to open windows if desired.

Heat pumps will be used to heat the 2030 Home. These will be powered by photovoltaics. These heat pumps will be reversible and may be used for active cooling in the summer if needed. The home will never be too hot or too cold. Where viable district heating networks will be fully utilised in the form of ground source heat pumps (potentially in green squares) or recycled heat from local industrial processes.

Energy will be stored in both lithium ion batteries and in the form of heat batteries such as the Sunamp heat batteries so that energy and heat will be available when renewable energy production may be limited.  There will be no energy bills in the 2030 home for the homeowners, who will also be able to take advantage of the favourable rates of green mortgages when purchasing a 2030 Home.

Travel

The 2030 Home will have dedicated areas for bike storage and charging. The home will act as a charging point for cars and electric bikes powered by onsite energy generation from PVs. The 2030 Home Book will point residents towards apps such as the Better Points app which helps people make better travel decisions in their area. Air quality apps can help people make better decisions on the walking routes they might take. The Home charging points will also make the 2030 Home ready to accommodate electric self-driving cars in the future which will have benefits for both the younger and older generation.

Structure

The structure will be timber frame using timber from sustainable sources with FSC and PEFC accreditations. Using timber will help keep the structure lightweight, sustainable and reduce the embodied carbon of the structure compared to concrete and steel.

 Public/Private/Community Spaces

Social interaction in the public realm will be encouraged in a 2030 Development. Landscaping interventions such as outdoor gyms, public telescopes, public art can all play a role in creating focal points for the local community. Public furniture and art will also play an important role in the public spaces, connecting people with culture, providing opportunities for socialising and contributing to the overall well-being of the local community. All public areas will be well lit with lighting powered by sustainable sources.

Food

Food has the power to bring people together and the 2030 Home developments will take advantage of this. Whether that be through allotments, the maintenance of orchards or the making of cider or apple pies from apple trees. Food will play a key role in the 2030 Community.

Creating local food networks will be an important component of the 2030 Home for both community and environmental benefit. Occupants will be able to grow their own food in their private gardens or greenhouses. There will also be opportunities to grow food in communal allotments and orchards. There will also be options for hydroponic and dark UV farming. This food can be eaten by the occupants or be sold in community markets, local shops or cafes. All of this allows for intergenerational interactions and connections within the community.

Play

A variety of opportunities for play and movement will be accommodated for in a 2030 Development. Play and movement are an important part of growing up, learning, keeping healthy and for general well-being. Successful parks are the ultimate spaces for these activities to take place, however public squares and small greens integrated into home site planning can also make a significant contribution to play and will be a part of a 2030 Home wherever possible.

Features such as children’s adventure playgrounds will feature in the public spaces but also landscaping features that may encourage intergenerational interaction such as outdoor boardgames tables with seating will be located in the public squares and greens. But the flexibility of simple open green space will not be ignored where people can have picnics, practice tai chi, walk their dog, play games, exercise or simply sit and enjoy nature. These spaces can also be used for local festivals or markets. Residents will also be made aware of schemes such as ‘Playing Out’ in the 2030 Home Book, in this scheme people living on a street can close their road off to traffic to allow play to happen safely on the street at pre-arranged times.

Biodiversity

The development will achieve a Building With Nature Excellent award(full) to help enable nature friendly features to be integrated throughout the development and to ensure a long-term management and maintenance strategy is in place. Information on how local residents can get involved with helping maintain their local landscaping will be found in the 2030 Home Book. The book will also point people towards initiatives such as RSPBs Giving Nature a Home where they’ll create a personal plan for the resident’s gardens and suggest activities to help them give nature a home in their garden. Throughout the development there will be a focus on allowing for activities that the young and old can be involved with. Nature and wildlife are great at doing this. Trees will be planted on site and species specified as recommended by the Urban Tree Manual. Orchards will also be integrated into the private communal spaces where possible. Orchards are great for biodiversity encoring a wealth of wildlife including hedgehogs, bats, bees, beetles, butterflies, fungi, birds to name a few.

 Conclusion

The 2030 Home aims to be the ultimate home for the 21st century, leading the way to a much-needed change in the house building industry. It promotes age-friendly and inclusive living, has a positive impact on the environment, promotes healthy living and lifestyles and is deliverable and scalable now with technology that is already out there. The 2030 Home is both the present and the future of home building in the UK.