We are thrilled that Making Room went national! Making Room: Housing for a Changing America was an exhibition organized with the National Building Museum in Washington DC in partnership with Resource Furniture and Clei. Based on our Making Room research initiative, the exhibit showcased innovative housing design solutions for meeting the evolving 21st-century needs of Americas diverse households.
Our research shows that unprecedented shifts in both demographics and lifestyle have fundamentally transformed the idea of the American household. Today, approximately one third of our households are single adults living alone, and the number of those who live with roommates, or in extended family situations, is on the rise. Our population is also aging rapidly and will need new housing options that can support aging-in-place with diminished physical or cognitive abilities.
Americas housing supply, however, has been slow to respond to these extraordinary demographic shifts. While only 20% of American households are a nuclear family, our housing markets remain fixated on their needs. The disparity between the perceived and actual housing needs of our population is exacerbating the modern housing crisisa factor few are talking about on the national level.
Making Room is a rallying cry for a wider menu of housing options. It showcased how architects, policymakers, developers, planners, and the general public can use design as an integral tool to meet housing needs. Presented with Resource Furniture and Clei, the exhibitions centerpiece was a fully rendered 1,000-square-foot home designed by Italian architect Pierluigi Colombo/Clei and installed directly in the exhibitions galleries for visitors to experience and explore. Featuring a hyper-efficient layout, smart technologies, movable walls, and multifunctional furniture, the Open House demonstrated how a flexible space can meet the needs of a variety of todays fastest-growing and underserved households. To showcase how this flexible space can adapt to seamlessly accommodate three entirely different living arrangementsroommates, an extended family, and a retired couplethe interior furnishings were changed twice during the exhibitions run.
In addition to the Open House, the exhibition highlighted cutting-edge projects that housing entrepreneurs (architects, designers, housing advocates and policy-makers) are taking to expand our housing options, including: micro-apartments; shared housing; accessory dwelling units; tiny houses and cohousing.
The exhibition is NOW CLOSED but you can find additional information, videos, and other content from the exhibit on the National Building Museums website, HERE. Stay tuned for information regarding the forthcoming Making Room book!