Remodelling Home: Engaging the Public in Architectural and Design Debate through Participatory Design

The “Remodelling Home” project was created for Scotland’s Housing Expo by Claystation, in collaboration with Sustainability, the Scottish Government’s mechanism for promoting sustainable design in the built environment. The Expo was the first event of its kind in Scotland and based upon similar models found in mainland Europe, where historically the housing fair concept has proven successful in stimulating quality design and innovation for housing. Aspiring to bring about a similar effect in the Highlands and throughout the UK, the Expo offered a model for future housing design and development. Remodelling Home gave visitors to the Expo an opportunity to design their own house for inclusive debate. By playfully creating new designs, Remodelling Home raised awareness of our built environment, encouraging those who live and work in Scotland and beyond, to not merely take a closer look at the buildings and spaces around them, but to be active in the rethinking and redesigning. The creative outputs from over 3500 project participants were placed into a historical and cultural context through an accompanying exhibition of Scotland’s housing heritage, with the results being disseminated online, in publication and through a subsequent exhibition at The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre for Architecture and Design.