Communal green spaces, gardens and allotments feature in the six design entry finalists for the Government’s Home of 2030 competition.

The six finalists, who each receive £40,000 to help them develop detailed plans, are:

• The Positive Collective with ECOSystems Technologies, COCIS and Arup;
• HLM Architects with the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Green Build;
• Igloo Regeneration with Useful Projects, Expedition Engineers and Mawson Kerr Architects;
• Openstudio Architects Ltd;
• Outpost Architects and team; and
• Studio OPEN.

The idea of the competition is to encourage design of environmentally friendly homes. The winner will be announced in the Autumn, and ‘other selected finalists’ will be introduced to Homes England development partners to explore the possibility of developing bids for a series of homes on Homes England land.

‘This competition demonstrates the best of British design being brought to bear on a key issue for today, and future generations: delivering homes that are good for the planet and that promote healthy, independent living for older generations’, said Housing Minister Christopher Pincher when announcing the finalists.

‘The winner of this competition will set the standard for the homes of the future and all 6 finalists have already made an exciting contribution to the designs we will need in the UK and around the world’.

Home of 2030 applicants were required to submit outline designs for homes that would be ‘age-friendly and inclusive’, have low environmental impact, promote healthy living, and deliverable across the country.

Plane submitted included communal spaces for food grown, ponds to promote biodiversity, homes built using interchangeable parts and standardised components, construction primarily from timber and straw, and from locally sourced materials.