Houses of Straw: Grand Designs and the Presentation of Architectural Design on Television

ABSTRACT

The UK television program Grand Designs, in which participants engage in the design and construction of their dream houses has, over a period of fourteen years, done much to educate a lay audience about the design of domestic buildings. In this paper we analyze two episodes of the program, both featuring houses constructed using straw bales. Our analysis considers three ways in which the show frames design issues and participants for the viewer. First, we look at how concepts of sustainability are presented; second, we explore the different ways in which expertise is enacted; and third, we discuss how design as a process, and architecture as a discipline, are represented. Within the episodes we analyze, we find that, on the one hand Grand Designs seems to be architecturally progressive (in furthering a discourse of “sustainability,” and accurately reflecting the “reality” of design), but on the other hand, it can be interpreted as just the opposite since, through problematizing notions of “expertise,” the show actually favors tradition over innovation, and emphasizes individual brilliance over collaboration and compromise.

KEYWORDS:

• design process
• discourse
• domestic architecture
• framing
• housing
• sustainability
• television

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Lloyd

Peter Lloyd is Professor of Design in the School of Art, Design, and Media at the University of Brighton, UK and Associate Editor for the journal Design Studies. His research and teaching are in the areas of design process, design ethics, and design thinking with a particular focus on language and dialog in design. [email protected]

Arlene Oak

Arlene Oak is an Associate Professor of Material Culture and Design Studies in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta, Canada. Her research studies the relationship between language and the design process. She has a Ph.D. in the social psychology of design practice, an MA(RCA) in design history, and a studio-based B.Des. in three-dimensional design. [email protected]