It’s fun to be scathing (Especially when your uni tutors get to read it)..
The Eco & Ud House is positively terrifying. As a house of the future we are presented with an eco-friendly, comfort giving, insular module. On the surface the building is thoroughly desirable. Panasonic have created a perfect living environment with the Japanese cultural assumption of a generational home. While maintaining an eco-approach to practically all rooms of the house the Eco & Ud assumes that technologically aided living is way forward. In truth, electronic beds, computerised lighting and imagery are not necessary for everyday comfort and the removal of such items leaves a more simple design for living and consequently a more environmental one.
Domestic life in one sense is enhanced through communal spaces and digital ‘big-brother’ technology, creating a peace of mind for parents and yet life is lost through the reduction of freedom and the unseen constraints presented by an overwhelming level of digital instruction.
Housing in the future should take into consideration the technology available but should strip it back to it’s most simple form. This way true community and relationships can develop through conversation, complication and lessons of life learned through difficulty and hardship. Selfish living, as promoted by this type of house is not constructive for relationships. The people you meet are one and the same, prisoners of their carefully crafted environment. The indoor garden is a pale comparison of the outside green and further prisons the house occupants. The garden makes a strong metaphorical claim that perfect living is simply an illusion that technology cannot buy.
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