Social Housing: Definitions and Design Exemplars maps 24 of the most compelling public housing projects across the UK and Europe, making the case — through built evidence — that alternatives to market-driven provision are not only possible but essential.
About This Book
Born from two years of studio research, this book arrives at a critical moment for the social housing sector. Karakusevic and Batchelor deliberately resist a single definition of social housing, instead presenting a deliberately diverse field: local authority schemes, philanthropic projects, and resident-led collectives. What unites them is a rejection of the purely market-orientated model. The result is a practical and polemical resource — one that examines new housing typologies, refurbishment strategies, and emerging design approaches, while asking housing professionals, architects, and students to seriously reconsider how affordable residential architecture is conceived, procured, and built in our cities.
Key Features
- 176 pages of case study documentation, design analysis, and exclusive interviews across 24 exemplary projects
- Co-authored by Paul Karakusevic and Abigail Batchelor
- Interviews with Neave Brown (Royal Gold Medallist), Finn Williams (GLA), Anne Lacaton (Lacaton & Vassal), and Professor Mark Brearley (London Metropolitan University)
- 24 featured projects drawn from the UK and Europe
- Published by RIBA Publishing
What You'll Discover
- How the absence of a shared European definition of social housing has produced a productive plurality of procurement models — and what architects can learn from each
- Refurbishment strategies that extend and transform existing public housing stock, challenging the default preference for demolition and rebuild
- The role of client-side processes in achieving design excellence in low-cost housing, and why procurement matters as much as design intent
- Perspectives from key sector figures — including post-war architect Neave Brown and Anne Lacaton — on the historical context and future direction of public housing in Europe
About the Author
Paul Karakusevic is an architect with a sustained practice focus on public and social housing in the UK. Abigail Batchelor co-led the research underpinning this publication alongside Karakusevic, and together they bring both design expertise and sector-level advocacy to the subject.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 176
- Dimensions: 290 x 200mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9781859466261
- Publisher: RIBA Publishing
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Housing architects, urban designers, local authority planning and housing teams, postgraduate students in architecture and urban policy, and anyone working at the intersection of design quality and affordable housing delivery.