Flexibility and mobility are key factors defining modern lifestyles and informing the design elements and materials used in contemporary homes, with many inhabitants opting to live in more comfortable and practical spaces without compromising on style.
But what makes a better home and how can this ideal be achieved through design and construction?
This is what interior construction company, Saint-Gobain, together with Thomasho¬ and Partner Architects set out to determine when they considered insights from a recent survey, which led to them creating a set of criteria for building better homes.
The result is Stand 51, a model for improved house design. The show home is currently being built in Val de Vie Estate, Franschhoek, and follows its predecessor, Stand 47, which tested people’s experiences around home comfort.
Stand 51 will be a smart, open, versatile space responding to insights that South Africans prefer open-plan houses as well as homes that can adapt and grow, and rooms with dual functions.
As such, the prototype will offer maximum acoustic and thermal comfort, safety, flexibility and environmental protection, and showcases how the evolution of design and technology can influence future-proof home design and living.
