It seems that London has been suffering with a housing crisis forever. Over the years there have been many different ideas for how to resolve it. This is the reason why the residential architecture London is home to is so diverse. You can see the signs of these different ideas and approaches. Sadly, none of them has been a long term solution.

Past ideas

The first idea was prefab housing. At the end of WWII there was a desperate need for homes to replace all the ones destroyed during the war. Prefabrication was one of the most popular methods because it was quick. However these homes were never meant to last.

In the 50s and 60s tower blocks became very popular. They had a distinct advantage in that they could fit far more homes on a piece of land than any other type of building. However there are lots of challenges with managing these buildings and the architectural style at the time is now very far out of date.

Demolition

Sadly lots of the homes built to deal with housing shortages over the years are now at the end of their lifecycle. This is true about estates and tower blocks all across the UK. It is proving to be a popular option to demolish and replace them with modern housing. But, this can have a big impact on the environment. Demolition requires a lot of energy and produces a lot of waste and emissions.

Reskinning

A less wasteful option would be to reskin existing properties. This could strip away everything including the facade and internal systems, leaving the concrete and steel framework. From here the building could be remade to meet modern standards. This could include more efficient electrics, insulation, windows, and air conditioning. All kinds of new technology could be introduced to make the new homes meet modern lifestyles.

Reskinning is a simpler and greener process than demolition. It also means that there is no need to consider things like how a new building would affect sightlines and spaces. More importantly, it preserves resources that are still useful, including much of the concrete and steel already in use.

Talk to us about residential architecture in London

Reskinning a building can be a big project but we are up to the task. In fact, Coffey Architects has experience of this already. We have had the pleasure to work on commercial as well as domestic buildings.

If you would like to talk to us about how we create residential architecture London clients love, get in touch. You can ask us about anything, from designs to materials.