Home Design Competition – Bungalow House Plans Could Change The Face Of Housing

A host of innovative designs which could change the face of social housing. The Homes for Leaning Exhibition features 36 design submissions from top international architects, aimed at providing a blueprint for a private study or working space in a typical home - many lack proper, quiet study space.

The competition, hosted by the Royal Institute of British Architects for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, with funding from the Government Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, was entered by architects from around the world.

LBBD Head of Housing Strategy, Lesley Mallett said: "This is a unique project, the first of its kind. If it proves to be a feasible venture, it may change the face of social housing in Britain and of course boost educational attainment for a tremendous amount of people, who would otherwise have been at a disadvantage.

"Our competition was an opportunity for architects to demonstrate genuine creativity and innovation in design with the knowledge that their plans could significantly help raise educational standards in the Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

"And the submissions overall were extremely impressive. We asked designers to incorporate a provision for information technology, books, storage and workstation space and movable furniture. Schemes had to accommodate two or possibly three people and should be secure and flexible while maximising mobility. The winning architects proved they could encompass all of these needs under one roof with innovative use of space and materials."

A ground-breaking design by London-based Ash Sakula Architects, scooped the £6,000 top prize, focusing on a range of options for rear extensions.

Robert Sakula, Cany Ash and Ian Aw proposed a substantial reorganisation of the main ground floor living spaces, opening up the house to both greenery behind and neighbours around. The design allowed as much light as possible into the house, creating an ideal environment for learning and working.

All 36 entrants will have their work featured at the exhibition. The judging panel comprised Council officers, Council members, tenants' representatives and architects.

Funding allowing, the winning design may ultimately be implemented in hundreds of similar Council properties in Dagenham.

Raising the standards of academic achievement is the goal behind the project in a Borough which has seen dramatic improvements in primary and secondary education attainment over the last ten years.

Properties built in abundance by the London County Council in the 1920s and 1930s on the Becontree Estate, suffer from a lack of private study space. Architects were asked to come up with plans for a typical two-bedroom house in the Fanshawe ward, where 80 per cent of homes are of this type.

They also had to consider the practicality of their design with details of costs of manufacture, delivery and installation accounted for.

The project supports the Council's Community Priority of "Better Education and Learning for All" and stems from recommendations put forward by the Council's Housing Policy Commission - a group set up to establish a clear, coherent and communicative vision for the future of housing in Barking and Dagenham.

The commission felt that the best way to test out its recommendations was to pilot some early "on the ground" schemes.

The Council is equally keen to encourage the Government's philosophy of "homes for life", where a property can be adapted according to the changing needs of its occupiers.

Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showed that only 5 per cent of council tenants and 7 per cent of housing association tenants work mainly from home, compared to 11 per cent of owner occupiers.

Also see; small home plans.

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