No more McMansions

The unflattering names that describe them: The McMansion, the ‘Starter’ Castle, the “Hummer” home, all sarcastically portray the over-sized, architecturally undefined homes that have crept into the housing tapestry over the years. These monstrous abodes, with their perverse layouts, tortured massing and lack of refinement, bespeak something far worse than their lack of tasteful consideration though, they reflect an out-dated and ecologically insolent attitude that a bigger home is a better one.

But out-dated attitudes won’t change until the modern-day market conventions – ones that often dictate the addition of redundant or useless space - change to reflect the way we live and the way we truly need to live.

With populations growing and resources dwindling we are, by necessity, at the dawn of a greener, more sustainable future where our ecological footprints will be greatly reduced. The ‘monster’ home flies in the face of all this and, like its vehicular counterpart, stands as a monument to a way of thinking that will soon be something of the past.

What we need now are standards and conventions that address our modern lifestyles and that emphasize quality over quantity; standards that reject more square-footage simply for the sake of more and focus on the efficient and multi-functional use of space; conventions that create layouts where occupants use every room in the house every day – as friends/clients told me recently about their renovated home; standards and conventions where all the unique needs and desires of a family are met through the rigors of design rather than through the granting of additional space.

The home of the future should respond to the needs and values of its user, in a comfortable and efficient manner while still presenting the smallest footprint achievable, both literally and ecologically, to the world at large.