The architect’s view: Frank Filskow, Make
At a glance
At Make, we’re exploring the make-up of households in the UK. We went through the results of the 2021 Census and are setting the data against questions around the provision of family homes in London. What are the different demographics that make up of British households today? Where do families choose to live and why?
The predominance of small households
A notable fact we uncovered is that 30% of households in England and Wales only have one person living in them. Over a third of these singletons are more than 65 years old. Couples without children comprise another 17%, bringing the number of single and lone couple households to nearly half of all households.
Surprisingly, the proportion of single or lone couple households is only marginally lower across London than in England and Wales as a whole, suggesting that it’s a nationwide trend to live in smaller households – not just an urban phenomenon.
What are the needs of these Londoners, older or younger? Do they live in homes with spare bedrooms? How does the predominant provision of standardised 1 and 2-bed flats fit in?
Stay-at-home kids
The Census reveals that only a quarter (26%) of all households in England and Wales are what we might call ‘traditional’ family homes: parents with dependent children under the age of 25. The same goes for London.
Combining single, lone couple and traditional family households brings us to 73% of all households, meaning the remaining 27% are a different make-up.
It turns out around a significant proportion of these remaining households – so 11% of all households in England and Wales – are parents with non-dependent children over the age of 25 years living at home. Perhaps they’re saving for their first home purchase or can’t afford to move out. Or are these long-term intergenerational households – for example, an adult living with a divorced parent?
This diversity of family make-up shows that we should be thinking more creatively about what family home design can and should look like.
Shared and multigenerational living
The Census classifies the remainder of all households (over 16%) as ‘other’. This includes shared flats and other types of shared living for professionals, students and extended multigenerational families.
As one might expect, this number is higher in London. Are developers and designers considering alternative living formats for these households?
The need for diverse design solutions
Clearly, there is a demand for small homes, but we need to understand the nature of that. A home shouldn’t simply be defined by the number of bedrooms it has, but by how well it meets the needs of the households inside in terms of age, culture and lifestyle.
The one-size-fits-all approach needs to be more tailored to offer greater value, flexibility and efficiency. Design and development need to reflect and support changing living patterns so people can buy and rent the homes they need.
