Housing Adaptability

More than (but essential to) climate issues?

In 2022, the refereed journal Buildings & Cities (B&C) published a Special Issue, Housing Adaptability, guest edited by Sofie Pelsmakers and Elanor Warwick https://www.buildingsandcities.org/journal-content/special-issues/housing-adaptability2.html - all papers are freely available.  This joint Edge and B&C event will use the Special Issue as the basis for an in-depth examination of the need for housing adaptability and the barriers to its provision.

While retrofitting the existing housing stock for climate change mitigation has been well researched, less consideration has been given to the increasingly important issues of the adaptation and flexibility of our homes – especially given the decreasing size of dwellings and changing nature of work and education. What can policy makers, planners, clients, developers and designers do to make new and existing dwellings more adaptable?

A home’s adaptive capacity supports an individual’s and community’s resilience when faced with inevitable life events and changing demographics (ageing population, migration, fluidity of household structures) and their associated disruptions and consequences.

The debate will explore the climatic /environmental, social and economic perspectives for making housing more adaptable. An emphasis on durability will entail buildings that are adaptable to different user needs, but also able to respond to the changing climate to remain fit for purpose. Can a small additional initial investment in adaptability maximise a building’s value throughout its life – if so, what is holding us back and what needs to change?

This virtual event will explore these questions in relation to current practice and new initiatives with contributions from an invited panel and afterwards from the audience.

Chair                 John Palmer, Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, UK

Introduction:        Elanor Warwick, Clarion Housing Group, UK

Speakers:              Jyrki Tarpio, Tampere University, Finland

The value of adaptability to residents

Astrid Smitham, Apparata Architects, UK

Adaptable housing to accommodate life’s changes

Marta Smektala, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Poland       

Do we know what inhabitants need?

Online:              Zoom

Timing:              27th February 2023, 17.00 – 19.00 GMT

Download: Debate Notes

Debate videos:

Elanor Warwick (Clarion Housing Group): Introduction to Adaptable Housing from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Jyrki Tarpio (Tampere University): The value of adaptability to residents from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Astrid Smitham (Apparata Architects): Case study - Adaptable housing to accommodate life’s changes from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Marta Smektala (Wroclaw University of Science & Technology): Balcony Design: Do We Know What Inhabitants Need? from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Kirk Archibald (Director, Think Three) from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Amy Burbidge (Head of the Master Development and Design Team, Homes England) from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.

Philip Graham (University of Cambridge) from Buildings and Cities on Vimeo.