THE FUTURE IS HERE
THE FUTURE IS HERE
@JAMESWALLMAN
THE FUTURE OF HOUSING
13 OCTOBER 2016
Wayne Gretzky
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey
player plays where the puck is going to be.”
AGENDA
• METHOD
• MACRO-TRENDS
• HOUSING TRENDS
• FURTHER FUTURE TRENDS
• TAKE-AWAY
METHOD
William Gibson
“The future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.”
THE FUTURE IS HERE
1. Understand the
macro-trends
2. Investigate the
innovation
3. Use Diffusion of
Innovations curve
THE FUTURE IS HERE
THE FUTURE IS HERE
THE FUTURE IS HERE
THE FUTURE IS HERE
MACRO-TRENDS
THE FUTURE IS HERE
RISING DEMAND
London needs 809,000 homes
by 2021
Source: London Councils
“What this country desperately
needs… homes that people on
ordinary incomes can actually
afford to rent or buy.”
Campbell Robb, chief executive, Shelter
Image: Visualhouse & Dan Lowe
THE FUTURE IS HERE
ACCELERATING
CHANGE
“The pace of technological
change [is] making heads
spin”
The Economist
Social Development Index, Ian Morris
THE FUTURE IS HERE
EVERYWARE
• AI, AR, VR, ML, IoT
• Automation
• Always-on
“Facebook has more
people than God on this
planet, and can reach
them on a mobile phone”
Scott Galloway, NYU Stern
Mercedes-Benz’s self-driving car
THE FUTURE IS HERE
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Software is 

eating the world”
Marc Andreesen, 

Andreessen Horowitz
THE FUTURE IS HERE
AMORTALITY
People are living much
longer.
And they “rarely ask
themselves if their
behaviour is age
appropriate because that
concept has little meaning
for them”
Catherine Mayer, Amortality
Duffie Grieve, 82, tennis champion
Image: Bolder, www.be-bolder.com
THE FUTURE IS HERE
CARBON
CONCERN
To hit the COP 21
target of <2°C,
humans must become a
carbon sink by 2070.
Source: Danny Dorling & Mark Maslin
THE FUTURE IS HERE
SMART LIVING
We don’t want more anymore.
We want to be smart — to get more from less.
So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of
today.
• Smartphones
• Smart homes
• Smart cities
THE FUTURE IS HERE
SMART LIVING
We don’t want more anymore.
We want to be smart — to get more from less.
So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of
today.
• Smartphones
• Smart homes
• Smart cities
THE FUTURE IS HERE
SMART LIVING
We don’t want more anymore.
We want to be smart — to get more from less.
So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of
today.
• Smartphones
• Smart homes
• Smart cities
THE FUTURE IS HERE
STILL HUMAN
"Human minds are the product of evolution, shaped by
millions of years of natural selection.”
Jason Collins, blogger, Evolving Economics
THE FUTURE IS HERE
EXPERIENTIALISM
• Post-materialism: from standards of
living to quality of life
• Happynomics
• Sharing economy
• Community matters
• Light living: access not ownership
TRENDS
THE FUTURE IS HERE
UP!
“London will have to be
developed more
densely… another 2.5m
people…
accommodating these
sorts of numbers will
inevitably demand
more tall buildings.”
Peter Murray, New London
Architecture
At 234m, Spire will be W Europe’s 

tallest residential building
THE FUTURE IS HERE
REGENERATION
NATION
Housing & Planning Act
backs brownfield sites.
• Local councils active
• Brick by Brick in
Croydon
• Gateshead Regeneration
Partnership
U+I’s plans for Swanley, Kent.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
MICRO RISING
"Millennials prize
experiences over stuff. They
will sacrifice space for
location…
“Millennial” is more of a
mindset than an age
group… 
downsizing has been
perceived as downgrading,
but… that’s not the case
anymore.”
Andy Levin, Carmel Place
A Pocket Living development
THE FUTURE IS HERE
The ideal micro-
apartment is 275-300
sq ft (25-28 sq m)
Source: Urban Land Institute
• H&P Act makes more
micro possible
• Twodios are 29 sq m
2-bed flat
• Pocket’s are 38 sq m
Pocket Living interior
THE FUTURE IS HERE
The Kasita is 300 sq ft.
“Young people don’t need
much space since they no
longer have the physical
belongings (records, DVDs,
books, magazines and even
TVs) of previous
generations.”
Lucian Smithers, Pocket
• Pocket sold 200 units in
past 10 years; 200 in
2016; 300 in January
2017
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Cowboys that convert
commercial buildings
can easily flog a coffin-
sized bedsit.”
David Birkbeck, chief executive,
Design for Homes
Pocket Living interior
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Cowboys that convert
commercial buildings
can easily flog a coffin-
sized bedsit.”
David Birkbeck, chief executive,
Design for Homes
THE FUTURE IS HERE
FLEXIBLE FRIENDS
“amazing, transforming
furniture–Murphy beds,
transforming tables,
etc–that most young
renters would not
typically invest in
themselves”
Andy Levin, Carmel Place
Carmel Place, NYC’s first official micro-unit
THE FUTURE IS HERE
Adjacent units in The
Panoramic in San
Francisco can be
joined
THE FUTURE IS HERE
GENERATION
RENT
• 80% rented privately
in 1918
• 10% today; value
£1.29 trillion, up 55%
over 5 years
• 22% by 2025
Sources: ONS, Savills
Fizzy Living landlords vs renters
THE FUTURE IS HERE
GENERATION
RENT
• Housing & Planning
Act wants to stop
“rogue landlords”
• Rent with Confidence
is a Trip Advisor for
renting
Matterport reduces friction
THE FUTURE IS HERE
FASTER HOMES
A smart way to increase
supply is “manufactured
housing”.
“It means the client can
get what they want
rather than get what
they can get.”
Andrew Partridge, RSH-P
PLACE / Ladywell in Lewisham
THE FUTURE IS HERE
• You can build the
Pop-Up House in four
days using just an
electric screwdriver.
• It's built to Passivhaus
standards
A complete Pop-Up House.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
ECO HOMES
• Exeter City Council
has commissioned
more Passivhaus
standard houses
• New materials such
as wood
The Cube in Shoreditch 

by Hawkins Brown
THE FUTURE IS HERE
ECO HOMES
• Exeter City Council
has commissioned
more Passivhaus
standard houses
• New materials such
as wood
Y Cube: made from reclaimed
timber; rents are 65% of market rate
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“WELCOME
HOMES”
Connected homes will
act like thoughtful
servants.
• Virtual assistants
• Auto-recognition
• Cognitive computers
• Smart sensors
Amazon’s Alexa
THE FUTURE IS HERE
EMPTY NESTERS
Under-occupied housing is one of the great
problems — and opportunities — of our time.
• 16m in under-occupied houses
• 6m in houses with 2 or more excess bedrooms
• 4.5m 50-64 year-olds; 90% 65-79 year-olds
• 160,000 shortage of retirement homes by 2030
Source: ILC-UK
THE FUTURE IS HERE
LTBs
(LAST-TIME
BUYERS)
Government report
recommended:
• remove stamp duty
• help-to-buy
• financial advice
Grove Park retirement community
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Walk-in showers with
grab-rails are good, but
only if they look like
something you’d find in
a luxury hotel.”
Lord Best
Battersea Place is London's first luxury
retirement community
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Walk-in showers with
grab-rails are good, but
only if they look like
something you’d find in
a luxury hotel.”
Lord Best
Battersea Place is London's first luxury
retirement community
THE FUTURE IS HERE
“Walk-in showers with
grab-rails are good, but
only if they look like
something you’d find in
a luxury hotel.”
Lord Best
Battersea Place is London's first luxury
retirement community
FURTHER FUTURES
THE FUTURE IS HERE
HAPPY HOMES
"What's really going to
make a home a happy place
is what a resident does to it
and… also the freedom a
resident has to transform it…
an abundance of daylight,
generous ceiling spaces, as
nice views as possible, and
access to big outdoor
spaces”
Bjarke Ingels
At Big House, people cycle, walk past terraced
gardens up to the 10th floor penthouses.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
TEMPORARY HOMES
“a building’s permanence — long
considered major part of its value
— may increasingly seen as a
weakness instead of a strength”
Johnny Magdaleno, journalist
Created for crisis, SURI units are
more advanced than most homes.
• filter rain into potable water
• 10-year life span
• re-cycle, reuse, biodegrade
SURI by Suricatta
THE FUTURE IS HERE
CO-LIVING
Co-living brings
community to micro
apartments.
• Private rooms
• Common areas
• Includes wifi, bills,
cleaning, events
The Collective Old Oak Common
THE FUTURE IS HERE
• Common in NY, SF,
DC
• StarCity in SF
• The Collective in
London
• Roam in Bali, Miami,
Madrid
• Soon also SF, London,
Buenos Aires, Tokyo
The Collective Old Oak Common
THE FUTURE IS HERE
• Common in NY, SF,
DC
• StarCity in SF
• The Collective in
London
• Roam in Bali, Miami,
Madrid
• Soon also SF, London,
Buenos Aires, Tokyo
The Collective Old Oak Common
THE FUTURE IS HERE
RURAL MICRO
Asset light is not
because people have
to. It's because they
want to. It’s a lifestyle
choice.
• Ecocapsule is the
“Swiss Army knife of
tiny homes”
EcoCapsule also filters rain water.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
• Harvard startup
Getaway is for rural
escapes
Photograph by Roderick Aichinger The Maisie
Cabin near New York
THE FUTURE IS HERE
• Harvard startup
Getaway is for rural
escapes
Inside a Getaway
THE FUTURE IS HERE
VAN LIFE 2.0
Q: If your vehicle self-
drives, what will you do
inside it?
A: Whatever you want.
It's a small step from a tiny home to #vanlife.
THE FUTURE IS HERE
Trailer parks would be
the ultimate in asset-
light, community-
oriented living.
Tony Hsieh's trailer park, Las Vegas
TAKE-AWAY
TAKE-AWAY
• GO MICRO
• STAY FLEXIBLE
• THINK ASSET LIGHT
• CREATE COMMUNITY
• REDUCE FRICTION — WITH TECH
• MAKE HAPPY HOMES FOR EXPERIENTIALISTS
THE FUTURE OF HOUSING
13 OCTOBER 2016
THE FUTURE IS HERE
JAMES@THEFISH.CO
THANK YOU
THIS VISION OF THE FUTURE WAS INFORMED AND INSPIRED BY
INSIGHTS & EXPERTISE FROM:
• James Hall, political advisor to John Healey MP
• Fionnuala Earley, chief economist, Hamptons
• Richard Brown, research director, Centre for London
• Kristel Tracy, communications manager, U+I plc
• Lucian Smithers, director of sales and marketing, Pocket
• Hannah Godwin, marketing executive, Pocket
THANK YOU
• Meg Kaufman, project manager, 

What Works Centre, Centre for Cities
• Henry Pryor, The Property Expert
• Harry Downes, managing director, Fizzy Living
• Jeff Wilson, founder, Kasita
• David Friedlander, tiny home expert
• Barney Stringer, director, Quod
THANK YOU
• Graham Hill, founder, Life Edited
• Nigel Howell, chief executive, FirstPort
• Sophy Taylor, founder, Taylor Made Media
• John Perry, policy advisor, Chartered Institue of Housing
• Ligia Teixeira, head of research and evaluation, Crisis
• John Tierney, director, Transform Management Consultancy
THANK YOU
• Greg Wilkinson, policy consultant
• Andrew Partridge, associate partner, 

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
• Vicki Macgregor, associate, curator of exhibitions, 

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
• David Rabee, head of marketing (UK), Matterport
• Carl Kibblewhite, experientialist
• Katie Griffiths, producer, The Future Is Here
THE FUTURE IS HERE
JAMES@THEFISH.CO

Future of Housing

  • 1.
  • 2.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE @JAMESWALLMAN
  • 3.
    THE FUTURE OFHOUSING 13 OCTOBER 2016
  • 4.
    Wayne Gretzky “A goodhockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”
  • 5.
    AGENDA • METHOD • MACRO-TRENDS •HOUSING TRENDS • FURTHER FUTURE TRENDS • TAKE-AWAY
  • 6.
  • 7.
    William Gibson “The futureis already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.”
  • 8.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE 1. Understand the macro-trends 2. Investigate the innovation 3. Use Diffusion of Innovations curve
  • 9.
  • 10.
  • 11.
  • 12.
  • 13.
  • 14.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE RISING DEMAND London needs 809,000 homes by 2021 Source: London Councils “What this country desperately needs… homes that people on ordinary incomes can actually afford to rent or buy.” Campbell Robb, chief executive, Shelter Image: Visualhouse & Dan Lowe
  • 15.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE ACCELERATING CHANGE “The pace of technological change [is] making heads spin” The Economist Social Development Index, Ian Morris
  • 16.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE EVERYWARE • AI, AR, VR, ML, IoT • Automation • Always-on “Facebook has more people than God on this planet, and can reach them on a mobile phone” Scott Galloway, NYU Stern Mercedes-Benz’s self-driving car
  • 17.
  • 18.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Software is 
 eating the world” Marc Andreesen, 
 Andreessen Horowitz
  • 19.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE AMORTALITY People are living much longer. And they “rarely ask themselves if their behaviour is age appropriate because that concept has little meaning for them” Catherine Mayer, Amortality Duffie Grieve, 82, tennis champion Image: Bolder, www.be-bolder.com
  • 20.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE CARBON CONCERN To hit the COP 21 target of <2°C, humans must become a carbon sink by 2070. Source: Danny Dorling & Mark Maslin
  • 21.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE SMART LIVING We don’t want more anymore. We want to be smart — to get more from less. So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of today. • Smartphones • Smart homes • Smart cities
  • 22.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE SMART LIVING We don’t want more anymore. We want to be smart — to get more from less. So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of today. • Smartphones • Smart homes • Smart cities
  • 23.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE SMART LIVING We don’t want more anymore. We want to be smart — to get more from less. So move over “e-“ and “i-“, smart is the prefix of today. • Smartphones • Smart homes • Smart cities
  • 24.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE STILL HUMAN "Human minds are the product of evolution, shaped by millions of years of natural selection.” Jason Collins, blogger, Evolving Economics
  • 25.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE EXPERIENTIALISM • Post-materialism: from standards of living to quality of life • Happynomics • Sharing economy • Community matters • Light living: access not ownership
  • 26.
  • 27.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE UP! “London will have to be developed more densely… another 2.5m people… accommodating these sorts of numbers will inevitably demand more tall buildings.” Peter Murray, New London Architecture At 234m, Spire will be W Europe’s 
 tallest residential building
  • 28.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE REGENERATION NATION Housing & Planning Act backs brownfield sites. • Local councils active • Brick by Brick in Croydon • Gateshead Regeneration Partnership U+I’s plans for Swanley, Kent.
  • 29.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE MICRO RISING "Millennials prize experiences over stuff. They will sacrifice space for location… “Millennial” is more of a mindset than an age group…  downsizing has been perceived as downgrading, but… that’s not the case anymore.” Andy Levin, Carmel Place A Pocket Living development
  • 30.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE The ideal micro- apartment is 275-300 sq ft (25-28 sq m) Source: Urban Land Institute • H&P Act makes more micro possible • Twodios are 29 sq m 2-bed flat • Pocket’s are 38 sq m Pocket Living interior
  • 31.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE The Kasita is 300 sq ft. “Young people don’t need much space since they no longer have the physical belongings (records, DVDs, books, magazines and even TVs) of previous generations.” Lucian Smithers, Pocket • Pocket sold 200 units in past 10 years; 200 in 2016; 300 in January 2017
  • 32.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Cowboys that convert commercial buildings can easily flog a coffin- sized bedsit.” David Birkbeck, chief executive, Design for Homes Pocket Living interior
  • 33.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Cowboys that convert commercial buildings can easily flog a coffin- sized bedsit.” David Birkbeck, chief executive, Design for Homes
  • 34.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE FLEXIBLE FRIENDS “amazing, transforming furniture–Murphy beds, transforming tables, etc–that most young renters would not typically invest in themselves” Andy Levin, Carmel Place Carmel Place, NYC’s first official micro-unit
  • 36.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE Adjacent units in The Panoramic in San Francisco can be joined
  • 37.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE GENERATION RENT • 80% rented privately in 1918 • 10% today; value £1.29 trillion, up 55% over 5 years • 22% by 2025 Sources: ONS, Savills Fizzy Living landlords vs renters
  • 38.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE GENERATION RENT • Housing & Planning Act wants to stop “rogue landlords” • Rent with Confidence is a Trip Advisor for renting Matterport reduces friction
  • 39.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE FASTER HOMES A smart way to increase supply is “manufactured housing”. “It means the client can get what they want rather than get what they can get.” Andrew Partridge, RSH-P PLACE / Ladywell in Lewisham
  • 40.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE • You can build the Pop-Up House in four days using just an electric screwdriver. • It's built to Passivhaus standards A complete Pop-Up House.
  • 41.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE ECO HOMES • Exeter City Council has commissioned more Passivhaus standard houses • New materials such as wood The Cube in Shoreditch 
 by Hawkins Brown
  • 42.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE ECO HOMES • Exeter City Council has commissioned more Passivhaus standard houses • New materials such as wood Y Cube: made from reclaimed timber; rents are 65% of market rate
  • 43.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “WELCOME HOMES” Connected homes will act like thoughtful servants. • Virtual assistants • Auto-recognition • Cognitive computers • Smart sensors Amazon’s Alexa
  • 44.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE EMPTY NESTERS Under-occupied housing is one of the great problems — and opportunities — of our time. • 16m in under-occupied houses • 6m in houses with 2 or more excess bedrooms • 4.5m 50-64 year-olds; 90% 65-79 year-olds • 160,000 shortage of retirement homes by 2030 Source: ILC-UK
  • 45.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE LTBs (LAST-TIME BUYERS) Government report recommended: • remove stamp duty • help-to-buy • financial advice Grove Park retirement community
  • 46.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Walk-in showers with grab-rails are good, but only if they look like something you’d find in a luxury hotel.” Lord Best Battersea Place is London's first luxury retirement community
  • 47.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Walk-in showers with grab-rails are good, but only if they look like something you’d find in a luxury hotel.” Lord Best Battersea Place is London's first luxury retirement community
  • 48.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE “Walk-in showers with grab-rails are good, but only if they look like something you’d find in a luxury hotel.” Lord Best Battersea Place is London's first luxury retirement community
  • 49.
  • 50.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE HAPPY HOMES "What's really going to make a home a happy place is what a resident does to it and… also the freedom a resident has to transform it… an abundance of daylight, generous ceiling spaces, as nice views as possible, and access to big outdoor spaces” Bjarke Ingels At Big House, people cycle, walk past terraced gardens up to the 10th floor penthouses.
  • 52.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE TEMPORARY HOMES “a building’s permanence — long considered major part of its value — may increasingly seen as a weakness instead of a strength” Johnny Magdaleno, journalist Created for crisis, SURI units are more advanced than most homes. • filter rain into potable water • 10-year life span • re-cycle, reuse, biodegrade SURI by Suricatta
  • 53.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE CO-LIVING Co-living brings community to micro apartments. • Private rooms • Common areas • Includes wifi, bills, cleaning, events The Collective Old Oak Common
  • 54.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE • Common in NY, SF, DC • StarCity in SF • The Collective in London • Roam in Bali, Miami, Madrid • Soon also SF, London, Buenos Aires, Tokyo The Collective Old Oak Common
  • 55.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE • Common in NY, SF, DC • StarCity in SF • The Collective in London • Roam in Bali, Miami, Madrid • Soon also SF, London, Buenos Aires, Tokyo The Collective Old Oak Common
  • 56.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE RURAL MICRO Asset light is not because people have to. It's because they want to. It’s a lifestyle choice. • Ecocapsule is the “Swiss Army knife of tiny homes” EcoCapsule also filters rain water.
  • 57.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE • Harvard startup Getaway is for rural escapes Photograph by Roderick Aichinger The Maisie Cabin near New York
  • 58.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE • Harvard startup Getaway is for rural escapes Inside a Getaway
  • 59.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE VAN LIFE 2.0 Q: If your vehicle self- drives, what will you do inside it? A: Whatever you want. It's a small step from a tiny home to #vanlife.
  • 60.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE Trailer parks would be the ultimate in asset- light, community- oriented living. Tony Hsieh's trailer park, Las Vegas
  • 61.
  • 62.
    TAKE-AWAY • GO MICRO •STAY FLEXIBLE • THINK ASSET LIGHT • CREATE COMMUNITY • REDUCE FRICTION — WITH TECH • MAKE HAPPY HOMES FOR EXPERIENTIALISTS
  • 63.
    THE FUTURE OFHOUSING 13 OCTOBER 2016
  • 64.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE JAMES@THEFISH.CO
  • 65.
    THANK YOU THIS VISIONOF THE FUTURE WAS INFORMED AND INSPIRED BY INSIGHTS & EXPERTISE FROM: • James Hall, political advisor to John Healey MP • Fionnuala Earley, chief economist, Hamptons • Richard Brown, research director, Centre for London • Kristel Tracy, communications manager, U+I plc • Lucian Smithers, director of sales and marketing, Pocket • Hannah Godwin, marketing executive, Pocket
  • 66.
    THANK YOU • MegKaufman, project manager, 
 What Works Centre, Centre for Cities • Henry Pryor, The Property Expert • Harry Downes, managing director, Fizzy Living • Jeff Wilson, founder, Kasita • David Friedlander, tiny home expert • Barney Stringer, director, Quod
  • 67.
    THANK YOU • GrahamHill, founder, Life Edited • Nigel Howell, chief executive, FirstPort • Sophy Taylor, founder, Taylor Made Media • John Perry, policy advisor, Chartered Institue of Housing • Ligia Teixeira, head of research and evaluation, Crisis • John Tierney, director, Transform Management Consultancy
  • 68.
    THANK YOU • GregWilkinson, policy consultant • Andrew Partridge, associate partner, 
 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners • Vicki Macgregor, associate, curator of exhibitions, 
 Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners • David Rabee, head of marketing (UK), Matterport • Carl Kibblewhite, experientialist • Katie Griffiths, producer, The Future Is Here
  • 69.
    THE FUTURE ISHERE JAMES@THEFISH.CO