Home is where the heart is

Everyone needs a home, even better if it is a home they can take pride in and enjoy, sadly this is not always the case. Building houses has become a bit of a political football, more wishful thinking than direct action, however in 2024 220,000 additional homes were created in the UK. 

To fulfil the current governments pledge to build 300,000 units a year will require a hefty 25% increase in output.

Rather shockingly, it is estimated that only 6% of these new homes were designed by an architect. This seems to emphasise the “quantity over quality” problem that has blighted the UK housing market since WW2. Most new homes are built by housebuilders, they understand their market and give people what they think they want. It is in some ways ironic that the housing with the most ambitious and thoughtful architecture seems to be generated by the under-funded public sector.

Almost every architect has designed a home, it is often the first thing in their careers that gets built. It was certainly the case for Stiff+Trevillion, we cut our teeth on back extensions and loft conversions, always trying to add something that distinguished them architecturally. 

As initiatives like “Don’t Move. Improve!” (DMI) demonstrate this is still the case today, there is a huge amount of interesting, innovative and joyful work that goes on behind the facades of suburban Edwardian London. 

As our studio has grown in size, we have continued to maintain an interest in private residential projects. It is a creative way to master problem solving, contract management and building technique.  Compared to commercial projects they can offer space for experimentation and flamboyance, principally because they are crafted for an end user.  We have always found that the homes we design compliment the other sectors we work in, after all, today the office has become a place to relax and socialise as well as a place of work.

We have a team of architects that concentrate on private residential projects and over the years we have built a diverse portfolio of new builds, listed buildings, conversions and refurbishments that stand alongside our commercial work. 

We should never underestimate the importance of this aspect of architecture, it is in the DNA of our practice. To recognise this, we have developed a parallel Instagram account @stifftrevillionhomes which showcases the work that our homes team produces. I think that this clearly demonstrates what architecture can add to what is a fundamental human need, and we are just one practice of thousands doing this. 

In an age where the architect’s role is becoming increasingly diminished by lazy procurement and over regulation, (and that is before we get to AI), surely all housing projects should embody qualities of beauty, sustainability and longevity that good housing architects bring to the table. Some of our best Practices specialise in producing beautifully designed housing, the skills are there. Government needs to stop thinking about quantity alone, the RIBA should be ashamed of the 6% figure and lobby them to insist that housing design in the UK always involves an architect.

Homes and housing will be the subject of this year’s architectural symposium at Messums West, which is once again curated by Mike Stiff and Peter Clegg.  The symposium takes place on Saturday 4th October, Messums West, Tisbury.