More not Less
Design standards for UK temporary accommodation
Competition: The Davidson Prize
Brief: Somewhere to call a home
Team: ZCD Architects and Madeleine Kessler Architecture with Datshiane Navanayagam, Architecture Doing Place, JCLA, Webb Yates Engineers, Charles Jegar, Gene Limbrick, and Poppie Skold.
Award: Finalist
Year: 2023
Homelessness, often stemming from trauma, leaves lasting scars. 'Temporary accommodation', not often truly short-term, worsens the situation. Unregulated triage housing compounds distress, especially for the vulnerable. This has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society.
Currently, more than 120,000 children are living in temporary accommodation.Leveraging our housing design expertise, we go beyond creating spaces. Our interdisciplinary approach defines a design code for UK-wide temporary housing projects, with 8 principles that synergise effectively:
By designing to More not Less, we can achieve a level of care that is lacking in the housing sector particularly for people in precarious situations. Investing in good temporary housing now will save money on physical and mental healthcare, on education and justice spending in the future.
Our vision is for children, young people and families, while they are homeless, to be able to stay in real homes where they feel safe, valued and protected. Where parents and carers can relax, make new friends and connections while starting to rebuild their lives and getting ready to move on to more permanent places.
See below for our film submission
