It is true to say that over the past 20 years there has been an enormous improvement in residential architecture – not least compared with the ambivalent outputs of the ‘90s and noughties. But the quality of these new buildings still varies, and this really matters. Uniquely, the design of our homes profoundly affects all of us almost every day.

Architects have varying levels of design influence in housing. Let us look for a moment at our most enduring and arguably successful house type, the ubiquitous “Wimpey home”, as people used to know it. From the sustainability side there is strong logic in “thickening out” our market towns, often with small-scale housing set within walking or cycling distance of the town centre, in turn filling up local schools and providing funding for better local services.

这种类型的发展正在不断改进，有更好的建筑质量和材料，更少的单调和更绿色的公共领域。它们仍然是英国非常受欢迎的住宅类型，提供安全和熟悉的生活方式。确实，开发商的房子类型在纯粹的建筑术语中可能是乏味的。从远古时代起，建筑机构就拒绝了这种背景，因为在某种程度上是低俗的——尽管这可能部分是因为房屋建筑商很少雇用独立建筑师。看到这两方走得更近是件好事。

By contrast a more recent type of housing is office-to-residential “permitted development”.

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