Spaces of Home

Middlesex University’s Interior Architecture students tackled the theme of “Home Futures 2.0” during the strange period of the 2020-21 academic year.

Home Futures 2.0 is a design brief that has been devised and written by Francesca Murialdo and Naomi House for the Interior Architecture programme at Middlesex University. The brief, in its different versions, according to the context and year group, has been used for year 2 and year 3 students in 2020-2021.

We are living in challenging times, on the edge of a precipice between a past that seems hopelessly distant and a future that is steeped in uncertainty. This moment of crisis is characterized by the rapid degradation of the natural environmental, and by social structures that are profoundly unequal. The global pandemic has impacted on every aspect of our daily routine. Lockdown of our communities and controlled access to public services have disrupted the way we live and the spaces we inhabit.

As we begin to emerge from the closeted existences that have characterized the last few months, we must question the very foundations of our society. In a world where we have to maintain physical distance in order to protect health and well-being, how do we return to a place of togetherness?

Students were asked to consider how, as designers, they might contribute to this discourse. How can designers rethink the planning and design of space? How can they take responsibility for designing homes that will enable people to live within this new social and physical landscape?