Living with the Future
Encyclopedia
Living with the Future is a television documentary series first broadcast on 15 January 2007 on BBC Four
. It is a follow-up series to Living with Modernism
, also on BBC Four
.
In each episode, presenter Simon Davis visits the owners of a private house, then stays overnight so he can comment on what the building is like to actually live in. The preceding series visited older "classic" buildings (1930s to 1970s) where modernity was the key feature. In this series, buildings have been constructed in the last few years and often rely on cutting-edge materials (the glass walls at "Skywood") and have "green" elements of re-use ("Quay House" is a rebuilt dairy) and efficiency ("Drop House" glazing and walls).
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
. It is a follow-up series to Living with Modernism
Living with Modernism
Living with Modernism is a television documentary series first broadcast on BBC Four in 2006. It is a companion series to Marvels of the Modern Age on BBC Two, and was followed by a sister series Living with the Future in 2007...
, also on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
.
In each episode, presenter Simon Davis visits the owners of a private house, then stays overnight so he can comment on what the building is like to actually live in. The preceding series visited older "classic" buildings (1930s to 1970s) where modernity was the key feature. In this series, buildings have been constructed in the last few years and often rely on cutting-edge materials (the glass walls at "Skywood") and have "green" elements of re-use ("Quay House" is a rebuilt dairy) and efficiency ("Drop House" glazing and walls).
Episode list
- "Skywood", Denham, BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
– rectangular glass box, with floating roof set by an artificial lake, reminiscent of Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der RoheLudwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
's Barcelona PavilionBarcelona PavilionThe Barcelona Pavilion , designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, was the German Pavilion for the 1929 International Exposition in Barcelona, Spain. This building was used for the official opening of the German section of the exhibition. It was an important building in the history of modern...
(architect/owner: Graham Phillips, chief executive of Foster and PartnersFoster and PartnersFoster + Partners is an architectural firm based in London. The practice is led by its founder and Chairman, Norman Foster, and has constructed many high-profile glass-and-steel buildings....
) - "Quay House", PeckhamPeckhamPeckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
– a live/work space for an architectural practice, with integral art gallery (architects: Quay2c) - "Drop House", Potters BarPotters BarPotters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....
, HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
– a white rectilinear building with a large drop shape in its heart, set in a street of typical large suburban houses (architect: Hudson Featherstone) - "Tilty Barn", EssexEssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
- a barn conversionConversion (barn)The Conversion of Barns involves the conversion of old farming barns to commercial or residential use structures. Many older farm buildings are being converted for holiday use...
for a family and their horse, featuring a stark white minimalist interior, flush fitting windows and stable (architect: John Pawson) - "The Old ZooThe Old ZooThe Old Zoo is a house in Brockhall Village, finished in 2000 on the site of the old petting zoo of Brockhall Hospital. It was designed through a competition held by RIBA. The house was commissioned by property tycoon Gerald Hitman in 1997, and the winning design chosen out of over 120 entries was...
", LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
- a large "modern country manor house" with separate children's/visitor's block, composed of many different angular forms and clad with thatched walls (architect: Farjadi Architects and owner) - "Paxton House", North LondonNorth LondonNorth London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
- family house built in spare space between mews houses - the most technologically advanced of the series (architects: Richard PaxtonRichard PaxtonRichard Lauderdale Paxton , was a well-known English architect preoccupied with the issue of how new and old could be made to work together to regenerate the city of London....
and Heidi Locher)