The evolution of buildings and implications for the design of ubiquitous domestic environments

This paper considers how we may realize future ubiquitous domestic environments. Building upon previous work on how buildings evolve by Stewart Brand, we suggest the need to broaden existing considerations of interactive design for domestic environments. We identify a number of classes of research activity and the issues associated with these. We then consider the ways in which current buildings undergo continual change. In doing so we outline the stakeholders involved, the representations used and the way change is managed. We contrast our understanding of how buildings change with research activities before identifying new challenges that will need to be addressed by those involved in designing ubiquitous technologies for domestic environments.