Michelmersh works with Morris+Company to lighten later living ribaj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ribaj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Words by Miranda MacLaren, Heather Macey and Polina Pencheva
Youth homelessness is a complex problem, and one that has been exacerbated by the pandemic: 2020 saw a rise of almost 50% in the number of 16 to 25-year-olds sleeping rough in London, for example, compared to 2019. Emergency accommodation currently on offer to young people is substandard, often in poorly converted buildings, and frequently with no privacy, security or space for social support. Purpose-built emergency shelters for young people are barely in existence at all.
And, as it stands in the UK, no design guidelines exist around this area of housing provision, beyond those that prevent fires and the formation of slums. This is despite design guidelines for traditional housing being dutifully updated by industry bodies year upon year.