“A Home for All: Six Experiments in Social Housing” at Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) have joined forces to display six pioneering experiments in social housing in an exhibition titled “A Home for All: Six Experiments in Social Housing.” The exhib“A Home for All: Six Experiments in Social Housing” at Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) have joined forces to display six pioneering experiments in social housing in an exhibition titled “A Home for All: Six Experiments in Social Housing.” The exhibition is currently on display at the Gallery 128a of V&A, and will be on view through June 30, 2019. Describing the exhibition RIBA says, “The challenge of providing housing for all is one that has faced governments and architects for over a century. This display presents six innovative projects from the collections of the RIBA and the Victoria and Albert Museum, each demonstrating a unique experiment in social housing design. ‘A Home for All’ will place the current thinking around housing in a historical context; focusing on instances of innovation will emphasize and encourage further experimentation.” Five historic schemes and one contemporary example showcase the way architects and local councils have experimented with design and process in response to the need for mass housing, experimenting with parameters of public participation, of form and design, and of successive visions of contemporary societal and domestic life. The display includes works from the RIBA collections by Neave Brown, Mary Duggan Architects, Ralph Erskine Arkitektkontor, Denys Lasdun, Tecton, and the architectural departments within various local government bodies. A selection of original architectural drawings, photos, site plans, and building models will be showcased alongside quotes from residents, architects, and stakeholders about the experience, intention, and reception of each project. Another notable element in the exhibition is an archival and contemporary poster and protest material that explores the changing attitudes toward social housing policy, from the early 20th-century to today. The six projects displayed at the exhibition include:Spa Green, London by Tecton: This estate was one of the first examples in England of Modernist architecture used for social housing, conceived using principles of health and hygiene. The 126 flats span the width of each block, providing sunlight, air, and views on both sides. An innovative aerofoil-shaped roof was designed to accelerate wind-flow for drying laundry. It was radically generous social housing for its time. Keeling House, London by Denys Lasdun & Partners: It was an early experiment in ‘cluster block’ housing. This innovative form placed four 16 story blocks around a free-standing services tower. The linked blocks were designed to balance the existing community of the street with a sense of seclusion. Alexandra Road Estate, London by Neave Brown: It is a pioneering example of high-density, low-rise housing. Neave Brown proposed a ‘social street’ for this awkward site alongside a railway line. This shared street encourages a convivial sense of community neighbourliness and belonging. Lions Green Road, Croydon by Mary Duggan Architects: This project represents both a renaissance and a new direction in council-led social housing provision. The design imagines residential blocks as sculptural pavilions within a natural landscape. Byker Estate, Ralph Erskine Arkitektkontor for Newcastle City Council: It is an ambitious example of participatory design that involved extensive consultation with existing residents. The estate was a clear break from concrete Modernism that had come to define Post-war social housing and remains a striking example of an estate embodying the complexity of a community. Primary Support Structure and Housing Assembly Kits (PSSHAK), London by Nabeel Hamdi and Nicholas Wilkinson of the Greater London Council Architects’ Department: PSSHAK began as a student project at the Architectural Association in the late 1960s. The architects developed a flexible design process, which enabled occupants to play an active part in the design of their homes. The exhibition is on view through June 30, 2019 at Gallery 128a, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL. For details, visit https://www.architecture.com https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more