ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the theoretical underpinnings behind the design of Claremont Court housing scheme, structuring the discussion around the idea of reformed notions of home, and the idea of “planned communities.” When the living environments of the poor were considered “unhomely,” or morally inadequate, the architectural discourse tried to transform domestic spatial practices, expecting reformed notions of home to follow. This is the first idea that the chapter explores, discussing how, although Claremont Court was a low-income housing scheme, the spatial structure of its dwellings shifted from the contemporary working-class home. The modern dwellings in Claremont Court tried to encourage a clearer public-private limit, in contrast to the ambiguous boundaries in the working-class home. The chapter also looks at the idea of “planned communities,” which developed from the contemporary discourse of the architectural avant-garde linking spatial arrangement and social behaviour, and fed social housing schemes such as Claremont Court. While developing these 2 concepts, the chapter sets the themes that will be addressed with the empirical exploration and discussion in the following chapters.
