Growth and Innovation

National Statistics forecast that between 2015 and 2019, the population of the UK will increase by 2.7 per cent, rising from 64.9 million people to 66.7 million people. An ageing population and forecast positive net migration to the UK will contribute towards the rise in demand for homes. Obviously this is good news for the Buckingham chartered architect. As the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) predict though, the average house price in the UK is also going to rise by 25 per cent over the coming five years. Such developments are bound to create a surge in demand for new cost-effective, functional and stylish construction projects. However, this also means that architects will need to innovate to accommodate these modern living requirements.

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The Countdown

Here are the top 3 trends underpinning changes to contemporary house building for 2015-2016:

1. Sustainable architecture for eco-friendly living: Achieving the dream of green housing is gradually becoming a reality due to the increasing use of environmentally conscious design techniques such as green roofs and geothermal energy manipulation. Following the March 2015 withdrawal of the Code for Sustainable Homes, the government will issue a new set of national technical standards to further reduce carbon emissions from buildings and improve the natural and built environment from 2016.

2. Blurred boundaries and optical illusions: Creating an atmosphere of light and space is a key visual design trend in Europe this year. chartered architects in Buckingham Ragozinno note the increasing popularity of transparency, translucency, reflection and connection with nature through extensive use of glass, perspex and mirrors. Fitzroy Park House in London demonstrates this particularly well, having been shortlisted for the Riba House of the Year 2015 award, to be announced on the 25th of November.

3. Interiors go Modernist with a tech twist: The clean lines, plain geometric shapes and neutral colours of the Modernist architectural style has a timeless aesthetic that is easily translatable to many different lifestyles. Simple and chic, Le Corbusier furniture is ideal for emphasising space in small areas and is once again making a comeback in the design industry. At London’s 2015 100 per cent Design Show, low-level tables with built-in grooves for securing tablets and phones emerged as a new theme for designers of the future to solve modern living needs.