It was a decade ago that philosopher and author Alain de Botton wrote The Architecture of Happiness, centred around the idea that where we are influences who we can be and therefore that architecture can play a role in helping us discover our full potential. It would set the cogs in motion for what would become an innovative not-for-profit organisation spearheaded by De Botton – part holiday rental enterprise, part architecture company – that would set out to democratise access to some of the UK's most creative and inspiring buildings.
Living Architecture commissions leading architects to design houses that can then be rented by the public short term. While most examples of modern architecture are privately owned or found in places such as airports or museums that one merely passes through, these landmarks have been specifically placed in interesting destinations up and down the country for the purpose of exposing the general public to great modern design, allowing guests to eat, sleep and relax in a home imagined by one of the industry's foremost figures.
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