Suitable for pupils in Year 4-7

Everyone needs a home!

But what people expect from their homes, how they are designed, and the ways they are used, vary greatly between countries, cultures, families, and households.

This free educational workshop will use real-world examples from a study comparing housing and their inhabitants in six countries (England, Chile, China, Switzerland, Spain, and the Netherlands). Pupils will learn about the concept of minimum housing standards and how these are influenced by cultural factors, daily routines, and specific household needs.

There will be time spent on exploring how each of us has a unique understanding of what makes a “good home” and how this inspires housing design.

Encouraging children to connect to the Built Environment

This school workshop for Year 4, 5, 6 and 7 will use real-world examples to introduce children to the fascinating world of housing design while encouraging them to engage with broader societal and environmental questions. It aims to inspire young learners to think critically about how homes shape our lives and communities.

Each session lasts for 2 hours and aims to develop skills such as:

Comparing and contrasting contexts and daily life in different countries.
Creative problem-solving that considers real needs, wants, and values.
Generating, developing, designing, and explaining ideas through discussions and drawings.

Workshop activities and expected schedule:

Introduction: How is a home designed?

Learn how architects design floor plans, taking furniture, activities, and standards into account.
Discussion of what makes a home functional and comfortable.
Comparison of housing from different countries using photographs, 3D scans, home-use studies, physical models, and interviews.

Design Challenge

Pupils will use creativity to design their vision of a home by drawing a floor plan or a picture.
Designs should meet both functional and emotional needs.

Sharing Ideas

Pupils will briefly present their home design, explaining how it addresses specific living needs and responds to common design criteria.
Reflect on how housing design and the creative process influence social and environmental outcomes.

The session will be delivered jointly by the Built Environment Trust and staff from the Royal College of Art (RCA). It is based on findings from RCA’s recently completed three-year research project into housing standards in social housing (https://housingstandardisation.com).

This video introduces the topic and gives food for thought before the session: https://youtu.be/KFM1O9qxX-g

Designing Homes: Exploring Housing Standards and How We Live