Students work with homebuilder to explore ideas for homes of the future
Year 2 Architecture students at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment have been working with East Midlands home builder Davidsons on a project to explore ideas for homes of the future.
The students started the project with visits to Davidsons Homes developments, where they spent time exploring construction processes, urban design (development layout) and interior design with Davidsons design director, Iain Pickering.
Iain said, as homebuilders it’s often good to be open to ideas from those working outside of the construction industry. Students are great to work with as they approach us with a range of interesting and creative ideas as they challenge us to think differently! It’s conceivable that some of their suggestions might become a common day feature in homes of the future. We’re always interested in what NTU’s students come up with, and have not been disappointed with any of their ideas.
Over the months following the site visits, the students worked to develop concepts and prototypes, finally showcasing their ideas at the university at an exhibition organised by the students.
Stefan Kruczkowski, lecturer in Urban Design at NTU said, We had a range of fascinating ideas from living rooms where the TV came to life and your favourite TV characters appeared, not on screen, but in your living room – through to smart kitchen work surfaces that could be moulded by hand to create bowls in which food could be prepared and into which water could be channelled. Another idea was a “foldout” home inspired by the “Slinky” children’s toy helping to speed up construction on site. Perhaps one of the most interesting ideas was a smart mirror that dispensed medication automatically – something that would ensure that people did not forget to take their daily multi-vitamin or prescription medication.
The project is a continuation of partnership work between Davidsons and NTU, strengthening a unique partnership.
James Wilson, managing director of Davidsons said, “As an NTU alumni it’s great to be working with NTU both with their students and supporting research activity within the School. Recently we have appointed one of their Masters of Architecture students to join us as a full time member of staff working within our busy design team.