Housing minister, Christopher Pincher, has announced six finalists in the Home of 2030 competition to design the homes of the future
The Home of 2030 competition encourages the design of environmentally friendly homes that support people in leading fulfilling lives as our society ages.
The six finalists and their designs are:
The Positive Collective with ECOSystems Technologies, COCIS and Arup: Homes that seek to reduce CO2 emissions and encourage social interaction, including growing food in communal spaces and creating ponds to promote biodiversity.
HLM Architects with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Green Build: Homes are built using interchangeable parts with other homes, creating a circular economy where little is wasted.
Igloo Regeneration with Useful Projects, Expedition Engineers and Mawson Kerr Architects: Homes with simple frame structures and standardised components set amidst walkable, vibrant neighbourhoods.
Openstudio Architects Ltd: Three building elements (a standardised housing module, an open ‘Loft’ and a circulation, storage and shared module) are used in combination with three landscape elements (communal green space, small private gardens or upper level balconies, and front gardens) to create combinations of sustainable, age-friendly spaces.
Outpost Architects and team: Janus is a home constructed from 98% organic biomass material (primarily timber and straw).
Studio OPEN: Promoting community through a garden shared between four homes that are built with locally sourced materials and timber construction methods to reduce environmental impact.
The winner of the Home of 2030 will be chosen and together with other selected finalists will 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 aid their development plans.
The announcement follows last week’s launch of ‘planning for the future’ – the government’s overhaul of the planning system to deliver more high-quality, sustainable homes.
The reforms include making tree-lined streets the norm and an ambition that the ‘zero carbon ready’ homes delivered under the new system will not require any future retrofitting.
Homes are responsible for 25% of carbon emissions in the UK, and the new competition will place energy efficiency at the forefront of new home design.
Setting the standard for homes of the future
Housing minister, Christopher Pincher, said: “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.”
Minister for clean growth and energy, Kwasi Kwarteng, added: “Cutting homeowners’ heating bills and making buildings greener is the next step in our plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and pioneering low-carbon initiatives like these will future-proof our housing stock for years to come.
“Alongside our nationwide £320m heat network investment and our upcoming £2 bn Green Homes Grant scheme, these projects will pave the way for the UK’s green homes revolution.”
The winner of the Home of 2030 competition will be announced this autumn.
Minister for Care, Helen Whately, commented: “We want everyone, regardless of their age, to lead healthy, active lives in communities that work for them. As the population of the UK ages, our housing and infrastructure must be adaptable to our changing needs.
“The innovation and talent shown by the finalists in designing solutions to meet the needs of our future population has been very exciting and I look forward to seeing what comes next.”
Home of 2030 applicants had to submit an outline design for homes that are:
- Age-friendly and inclusive – appealing to a variety of age groups and adaptable to how needs will change as people become older.
- Have low environmental impact – applying technology and construction techniques to deliver net zero carbon emissions.
- Promote healthy living – promoting better health and wellbeing, such as through access to green spaces and communal areas.
- Deliverable and scalable – homes that can be rolled out across the country.
Separately, in a boost for the manufacture of low-carbon homes, the government announced that warranty providers have agreed to work towards a shared standard for assessing homes built using modern methods of construction (MMC).
Once delivered, the new standard will boost the MMC industry by making it simpler to secure a warranty for these homes. Industry research suggests these homes have the potential to be more environmentally sustainable, reducing heating bills by up to 70%.
