Hello and welcome to my weekly podcast, a short commentary on art & architecture in the news.
Today we talk about residential architecture, how our homes could change in a post-pandemic world. The news is that companies are preparing plans to keep employees working from home longer than anticipated and possibly in a permanent way. As a result, developers and architects are rethinking houses, to become flexible working hubs. What is the best environment for home and work?
This blog revisits a 1950’s utopian project called the "House of the Future" , which could possibly become our new working hub! It was a temporary installation for the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in London in 1956, by architects and married couple Alison (1928-1993) and Peter Smithson (1923-2003).
The Smithson’s were part of a group of artists and architects in the post-war UK called the ‘New Brutalist” or Independent Group, together with Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2005) and Nigel Henderson (1917-1985). They were asking themselves the same question we are asking today: what is a house, what is a home, what should it have different from the past, how can it cater for the need of a world after a crisis (the war at that time, the pandemic today)?
The project House of the Future is a post-apocalyptic utopia, protecting its residents from any external shock. It shows a self contained circular space, a modern high tech flat with an open air courtyard in the middle, as residents spend more time at home than outdoors. The flat includes is a self-cleaning and sanitation entrance area, which resonates to today’s world. And all surfaces are made by a sanitised material, a kind of plastic!
Living inside is a cosy experience: almost everything is easy to reach, has a curvy shape, including walls, and the space to walk and move through is very fluid. The inhabitant’s clothes are futuristic, fashionable and hygienic, they could contain a moth and dust repellent. The external light comes in through irregular windows, to protect privacy. All suggests that spending a lot of time indoors is a pleasant experience.
There is a lot of humour in this house, could it be a good idea for the post-pandemic world of the future?
And what about your home, how are you rethinking your space? Let me know your thoughts!
This is Roby, from ART Tours with a Theme, thank you for listening and share this blog with your friends!
