The Regenerative Home: A Restorative Way of Living

How can we design and build future homes that are better for people and the planet?

At a time when residential homes are responsible for between 17-21 percent of energy-related carbon emissions globally, and 11 percent of global food waste comes directly from households, we must think differently about how our homes impact wider environmental systems.

Our new report, The Regenerative Home, takes a closer look at how we can collectively design dwellings that close the loop, give back, and produce more than they consume.

We share how tomorrow’s home will transform daily routines — and why the future regenerative home will be built on a combination of traditional knowledge and new technologies.

With guidance from leading experts, the report explores four components of the typical home:

• Building
• Energy
• Food
• Belongings

10 insights from the report

Alongside global case studies and key statistics powering the movement towards regenerative living, the report reveals insights such as:

1. Retrofit for vitality: Restore and upgrade buildings to prolong their life, enhance energy efficiency, and create and uplift local communities.
2. Re-construct: Reuse old building materials, furniture, and components to save costs, reduce demolition waste, and demand for new materials.
3. Build naturally: Use locally-sourced natural materials such as straw and clay for new building work and insulation — abundant materials that can be safely returned to nature.
4. In-built energy: Integrate solar, green hydrogen, and other renewable energy systems into the exterior and interior design of the home to capture and provide off-grid power.
5. Harness heat: Redirect thermal heat from sources such as data centres and city sewer systems to power local buildings, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and boost local grids.
6. Compost kitchens: Move nature’s regenerative systems into kitchens: compost food scraps from home-grown produce using countertop wormeries.
7. Waste with benefits: Redesign sanitary systems so residents can turn human waste into fertiliser for plants and gardens, and support biodiversity.
8. Place-based production: From furniture to food, local sourcing of the items that make your home can create jobs, preserve skills, and inspire regenerative business models.
9. Care and share: Share household objects through joint ownership, as-a-service models, or community libraries to extend their life and use, and promote recycling.
10. Activate data: Create neighbourhood data networks to actively encourage regenerative behaviours that respond to environmental shifts, and the availability of resources and energy.

Get involved

We welcome our community to be part of ongoing research into The Regenerative Home.

‘This report is part of an ever-evolving research ecosystem that enables our community — whether designers, businesses or citizens — to design a better life at home for the many,’ explains Helen Job, head of research at SPACE10.

We’ll share insights, case studies, and opportunities from the report across our social channels, opening a dialogue with people around the world to understand how we can all live more regenerative and restorative lives at home.

We’d also love to hear what you’re doing in this space, so keep an eye on our social channels for more!

Credits

Special thanks to Lucy Hardcastle Studio, who designed a series of visuals based on speculative scenarios of the home — from a subterranean tropical refuge to off-grid houseboats.

Thank you to Thursday’s Child, which nurtures young emerging photographers, filmmakers, and digital content creators, for connecting us with Lucy and her team.

Thank you also to all of the experts, collectives and designers involved in making The Regenerative Home a reality, and to Principal for the design of this report.