Tuesday, 5th January 2021 at 1:16pmA housing crisis and a climate crisis

Confucius once said, “the strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home”.

Were he around today, he might have a few things to say about Britain’s housing crisis. Our ‘housing gap’ (that’s the number of homes needed to ensure every citizen has a decent place to live) is 1,000,000.

But architects and designers face another, even bigger challenge. What good are a million new homes if we don’t have a habitable planet on which to build them?

When it comes to the environment, construction has a lot to answer for; it’s responsible for 10% of the UK’s total carbon dioxide emissions.

So what can architects do to clean up their act and bridge the housing gap?

The solution may surprise you.

Prefab, or ‘modular’ homes are quick and cheap to build, and their construction produces 40% less carbon dioxide than traditional methods. 

If the word ‘prefab’ has you instinctively looking down your nose, think again. Things have come a long way since the archetypal tin sheds that cropped up all over post-war Britain.

Take Node’s modular home as an example: it’s sleek, comfortable and carbon neutral. Recycling water from its guttering system and harnessing solar power, a Node abode allows occupants to live fully off-grid in style.

If it’s speed you need, KODA’s ‘plug in and play’ homes can be erected or dismantled in just 7 hours; perfect if you’re a nomadic soul.

And for proof that modular homes are affordable, look no further than Ecospace; their self- contained homes start at just £30,000.

Beautiful, functional, cheap and green – it’s no wonder government advisers have set a target of 75,000 new modular homes every year until 2030. Architects take note: ignore the rise of modular homes at your peril.