During a three-year Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded secondment at the University of Cambridge, Dr Philip Graham developed Adjustable Housing, an interdisciplinary approach to creating socially, environmentally and economically sustainable homes.
The approach enables homes to be adapted to people’s changing needs over time without requiring costly moves or major building work.
The project provided practical guidance for industry and policymakers.
Housing distribution problems
The UK is facing severe housing distribution problems, leading to rising costs and limited availability that make it difficult for many UK residents to find secure, suitable housing.
The Innovation Scholar award enabled Dr Graham, with experience in industry, research and teaching, to test solutions to this complex problem that would be attractive to homeowners, construction firms and policymakers.
Dr Graham’s proposal was developed with input from colleagues from industry and academia, including researchers in:
- the Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Finland
It went on to win the Thinkhouse 2023 Early Career Researcher prize, awarded by Inside Housing magazine.
Unlocking housing potential
Dr Graham also delivered evidence to the UK government select committee inquiry on environmental sustainability and housing growth.
Dr Philip Graham
In addition, he has established a knowledge sharing partnership with Clarion Housing Group and put forward a novel method for testing the adjustability of housing layouts.
He is currently interviewing innovators in industry, developing investment and lending propositions that have the potential to unlock more adjustable housing and downsizing activity.
Dr Graham said:
It’s pretty rare to receive such generous, long-term funding – the opportunity to collaborate with a great university like Cambridge is unique and has opened many doors.
Fresh ideas
Dr Graham’s experiences have resulted in a thirst for fresh ideas from industry and intersecting fields.
They have lead to a wider dialogue at college level on ways to raise the profile of the ‘design sciences’ as a missing equivalent to the natural and social sciences.
About Innovation Scholars
AHRC funding for Innovation Scholars totals over £1.3 million and has supported 20 people to move between industry and academia.
Scholars are working on topics such as:
- the design of public open space, in collaboration with We Made That
- new approaches to large scale urban regeneration projects with Landsec Plc
- working with Historic England on the theme of intangible heritage and its relationship to historic places