The Challenge

We spend 75% of our lives indoors, homes are vital to our health and economy

We need to cut energy use in new buildings by 50% by 2030

65 years and above is the fastest growing age group in our society

According to housing charity Crisis*, the total level of new housebuilding required is estimated to be around 340,000 per year for England. The housing crisis is not going to be solved by merely building a large volume of houses – we also need homes of good quality.

Meanwhile, The Office for National Statistics projects that the number of people aged 80 and above will more than double, to 6 million, by mid-2037; the number aged between 70 and 80 will grow from 4.5 million to 7.5 million. Much of our housing fails to meet accessibility standards and abundant evidence has shown the links between poor housing and ill health. The Royal College of Physicians warned in 2016 that indoor air pollutants cause, at a minimum, thousands of deaths per year and are associated with healthcare costs in the order of tens of millions of pounds.

Making new homes desirable to all demographics is a key to the Home of 2030 challenge, ensuring that homes can adapt to changing needs and in particular working for an ageing society allowing people to live at home longer. Our homes also need to support our health and social care services, helping them become more proactive rather than reactive.

Whilst there are examples of housing developments that meet some of these challenges, few have proven achievements in all areas. We need to educate audiences on new products, services and design, familiarising consumers to embrace the new look and feel of modern methods of construction and other forms of innovation to create the homes of the future. One of the aims of Home of 2030 is to help to galvanise industry and the public to expect more from our homes, helping to improve the culture of mass housebuilding to one that embraces the highest quality and rejects a “just enough” approach.

Home of 2030 has been created to address issues which include:

  • The need for scalable, sustainable and durable solutions that go from “somewhere to everywhere” in the country, helping to address the housing shortage
  • The need to creating comfortable, healthy internal environments in homes, helping to respond to the Climate Emergency
  • Demographic changes including an ageing population and young people living with their parents for longer
  • The physical adaptability of the home over time, and the ability to accommodate digital innovation in social care
  • Affordability
  • Compact homes which meet demand in urban areas without compromising quality
  • The decarbonisation of the national grid and the need for efficient homes
  • The lack of consumer demand and engagement of public consciousness in the role of design and value for good quality homes
  • The cost and risk of innovation

*Housing Supply Requirements across Great Britain, Crisis, 2018