Future Homes: what will they look like?

Patrick Dixon, author of The Future of Almost Everything, took part at the Origin Round Table discussion on Home of the Future - see Origin Homes of the Future Report, widely reported in the media.

What will homes of the future be like?  How will buyers of property change what they are looking for?  Impact on architecture, building design and property markets. Future of real estate and home building in the UK and Europe.  

Future design of homes, smart homes, interior design and home architecture. How and why old homes are being reshaped - creating open space living areas with many private spaces for bedrooms, home office etc.  Old model of living room, front parlour, dining room etc - radically different today, what about the future. 

British love of gardens and gardening and impact on real estate - home design.  Popularity of big windows, bringing the outside into the home.

Towns and cities will continue to be very popular places to live - homes providing personal space, but close enough to the excitement and buzz of city life, places where you can get things done.

Premium prices will continue be seen for older properties over new - except where the site is magnificent eg penthouse view over a city river.  The reason is that a lot of new build has had a reputation for being less well built than traditional, 100 year old buildings.

Test that new build is premium quality is this:  that same property is still around in 300 year's time, as much loved and appreciated (or more so) than it was in the first decades after it was constructed.  Truth is that the best new build homes have a much higher specification for things like energy saving and sound insulation than most older buildings.