Selected as a Finalist for the Davidson Prize, 'More not Less' proposes design codes for temporary accommodation across the UK.
Homelessness is either preceded by trauma or causes trauma. This is often exacerbated by ‘temporary accommodation’ – often not short-term – before rehousing. The devastating failings of unregulated triage housing – which cannot be called ‘homes’ – significantly add to the trauma of those most in need. Family homes, prisons, and even free-range chickens all have minimum space standards, but there are no regulatory standards for temporary accommodation in the UK. New build schemes are approved on a sui generis basis, leading to a frequent lack of space, privacy, safety, community and wellbeing.
More Not Less responds with a design code to encourage aspiration rather than a race to the bottom. More than 120,000 children are currently living in temporary accommodation in the UK. They can spend years of their lives there, leading to a sense of worthlessness that is hard to shift. Our proposal tests its principles on a design for an intergenerational living place for families with children. Just as those in intensive care receive more care, Re-Group believes that those who need temporary accommodation deserve more not less. Through design, More Not Less aims to support the ‘un-othering’ of people who find themselves homeless and to achieve a level of care that is lacking in the housing sector as whole.
