Published in 2021, Public Housing Works presents the last 15 years of our public-led masterplanning and housing projects for local councils in London, and the major shifts in design and policy which have shaped the public housing sector in that time. Featuring 16 of our defining projects of different scales and scope and a collection of contextual essays, the book showcases how local authorities are now prioritising quality and great design to create more successful homes and neighbourhoods in the UK.
The book was launched via an online event on 4 November 2021 with a live Q&A between Paul Karakusevic and Pooja Agrawal, Public Practice to discuss our current housing projects, the key themes of the book, and why engaging with the public sector is vital for the future of affordable housing and city making.
“Public Housing Works is the rare architecture monograph to not only showcase compelling built work, but to offer strategies for addressing an urgent social problem: the shortage of affordable dwellings half a century after the state wrote off public housing. For two decades, Karakusevic Carson Architects has been a leader in reviving the production of social housing in London and other British cities and an active participant in forging the nation’s contemporary housing system. Rich with details about design strategies, the firm’s creative and collaborative process of community engagement, local policy innovations, history and on-the-ground analysis of the challenges of adding density in places weary of high-rises, this beautifully written, illustrated, and organised book will be an indispensable resource to architects, policymakers, housing advocates the world over.”
Matthew Lasner, Assistant Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning, Hunter College, City University of New York
“After decades of dwindling standards, a revolution in the design and delivery of housing for ordinary people is at last gripping the UK. Few practices have driven this renaissance in the creation of characterful and affordable homes for all more than Karakusevic Carson Architects, who for twenty years have championed outstanding domestic architecture commissioned by forward-thinking public clients. Public Housing Works not only charts the inspiring story of Karakusevic Carson Architects, but also the complex web of the British housing crisis revealing how brave public clients in collaboration with compassionate and thoughtful architects can address profound social issues to create a more equitable city.” Phineas Harper, Director of Open City
Published by Lund Humphries, 2021