Everyone needs a home!
But what people expect from their homes, how they are designed, and the ways they are used, vary greatly between countries, cultures, families, and households.
This educational workshop will use real-world examples from a study comparing housing and their inhabitants in six countries (England, Chile, China, Switzerland, Spain, and the Netherlands). Pupils will learn about the concept of minimum housing standards and how these are influenced by cultural factors, daily routines, and specific needs.
There will be time spent on exploring how each of us has a unique understanding of what makes a “good home” and how this inspires housing design.
Encouraging children to connect to the Built Environment
This educational workshop, for Year 4, 5, 6 and 7 will use real-world examples from a study introduces children to the fascinating world of housing design while encouraging them to engage with broader societal and environmental questions, inspiring young learners to think critically about how homes shape our lives and communities.
Each session lasts for 1 hour and aims to develop skills such as:
- Comparing and contrasting contexts and daily life in different countries.
- Creative problem-solving that considers real needs, wants, and values.
- Generating, developing, modelling, designing, and explaining ideas through discussion, drawings, and models.
Workshop activities and expected schedule:
Introduction: How is a home designed?
- Learn how architects design floor plans, taking furniture, activities, and standards into account.
- Discussion of what makes a home functional and comfortable.
- Comparison of housing from different countries using photographs, 3D scans, home-use studies, physical models, and interviews.
Engagement with the exhibition
- Explore the exhibition and identify models and furniture that stand out.
- Discuss: “What features would you want in your home, and why?”
Design Challenge
- Pupils will use creativity to design their vision of a home. Options include drawing a floor plan, creating a picture, or building a three-dimensional model.
- Designs should meet both functional and emotional needs.
Sharing Ideas
- Each pupil will briefly present their home design, explaining how it addresses specific living needs.
- Reflect on how housing design and the creative process influence social and environmental outcomes.
The session will be delivered jointly by the Built Environment Trust and staff from the Royal College of Art (RCA). And is based on findings from RCA’s recently completed three-year research project into housing standards in social housing.
This video introduces the topic and gives food for thought before the session: https://youtu.be/KFM1O9qxX-g
