Prevention is better than cure.
We all know the saying ‘prevention is better than cure.’ Architects and the construction industry need to change the way we design and build homes. Our lack of adequate housing is leading to the emotional, physical and financial decline of our nation. A third of adults report that major modifications are needed to their homes to accommodate their needs. At the source of all this is a diminishing understanding of the preventative options we should be exploring.
-1pratice8 is aware of the existing evidence and data portraying a direct correlation between poor housing standards and the multitude of negative impacts it has on our society. If we focus solely on education there is strong evidence linking poor housing conditions to children underachieving in their GCSE’s and A-Levels. The simple act of putting a desk in a child’s room improves their chances of achieving A*-C GCSE grades by fourfold. The lack of a desk and the consequential inability to achieve these GCSE results subsequently equates to a £14.8 billion loss in earnings potential for that generation.
Data is a major part of our practice so the implications of collecting, analysing, storing, processing, translating and relaying data become important topics to address.
Within architecture, 97% of practices operating within the housing sector don’t gather or retain post-occupancy evaluation data relating to their built designs. There is little to no ‘regulated practice’ for this within the ARB and RIBA conducts, therefore, our research model will comply with these baseline standards of record collection and retention requirements under the law. As a case study, WeWork (who design working spaces), provide occupants with the opportunity to feedback in real-time on an app in all their spaces. This provides an instant feedback loop through which the workspace can be improved upon in future iterations. The feedback generated by WeWork from their vast amount of properties is expansive, and their approach to storing and utilisation of this data is one -1practice8 will follow and adapt. We will initially be operating on a case-by-case manner, employed as a consultant by the developer. Within any situation, we would not allow a developer to have ownership over the collected data. We operate with a goal in mind — to create a policy that every developer has to incorporate Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE), meaning no one developer can own the data we collect or present to them.
-1practice8 relies on the translation of data and information into a form that is accessible for both funder and stakeholder. However we are limited by our ability to only collect and process data that is suitable and relative to our practice size. As a result we have subdivided our data into two branches that each require different approaches to how they are gathered, translated and used.
‘Personal’ data is gathered in a face-to-face environment, where people have chosen to share information in an interactive way. This however can be an extremely time-consuming approach and requires significant effort to provide genuine, usable data. Aware of the fact that this option would take a minimum input time of two weeks for each development, the practice aims to minimise the resources required by implementing new and innovative ‘personal’ collection methods. For example, an (unknown) practice gave out a simple laser-cut frog to residents within a development, which contained a damp sensor inside. This allowed them to gather real-time data about the environmental conditions of multiple homes with minimal time and effort. It is examples like this that allow us to take a step back and assess existing platforms and information, whilst generating a sense of how users are inhabiting their spaces.
The updated Data Protection Act and the GDPR 2018 policy dictates how -1practice8 must collect personal data transparently. It is therefore paramount to practice with the knowledge that the personal information gathered will have to be undertaken and processed appropriately, in line with this legislation.
Data mining as a technique is widely used in many industries. Applications are able to gather data stored online, including from government sources and enterprise databases. This technique enables quick and relatively inexpensive analysis of massive volumes of data. The collection and analysis of both public and private sector data naturally raise concerns over privacy, due to the absence of bespoke laws over online security. This liberal aquisition of data then raises the question of its accuracy and validity, as well provoking thoughts regarding data protection and the right of an individual to know that their personal information is being collected and used.
Public and professional exhibitions are another example of immersive data collection that can be used to further understand the implications of the built environment on its inhabitants. In April 2019 Google and Reddymade Architecture, Muuto and John Hopkin University hosted an exhibition ‘A Space for Being’ that explored how design can impact upon our emotions. This installation engaged with the field of neuroaesthetics to track peoples biological responses to design. Projects such as this are revered for the use of pioneering methodology to assist our understanding of how we are stimulated by architecture. In time this field of research will make visible the impacts of design and “how the things we surround ourselves with impact how we feel.”
-1practice8’s approach to data mining therefore will be carefully considered. Whilst an abundant amount of data is often preferable, obtaining an overly large and potentially redundant quantity of data will be detrimental to our finances, time and ultimately our goal. We will attempt to strike a balance between these two collection methods in order to maximise efficiency.
The Government Transformation Strategy states that it will open up government data (including higher quality contracted data) through their Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS). If we succeed in creating the balance between accessed and gathered data to improve our built environments within the housing sector, there is potential to apply similar methodology across other sectors of architecture and provide further benefits to the industry as a whole.
Although our start-up process initially takes time we are focused on our ability to communicate our findings through various forms of visual representation. Our interpretation of data and its tangible portrayal is how we will succeed.
It is -1practice8’s hope to generate enough influence to reform the current building standards and the way housing is designed. We believe policies such as POE should become a requirement throughout all developments, giving life to our mantra of prevention is better than cure. This data revolution would also give architects the tools to fully understand the impacts of design, providing the opportunity to enhance control over an output where as an industry, we are often caught short.
