Kevin McCloud Says Residential Architecture Is Getting More Playful as Grand Designs Returns
Since 1999, Kevin McCloud has hosted Grand Designs and recently remarked on the emergence of "playful elements" in UK architecture with the launch of the latest series. He pointed out a departure from the serious tone of the early 21st century, noting the resurgence of arches in residential designs and a fusion of sustainability, history, and archaeology. While he expressed optimism, McCloud criticized the 2026 Stirling Prize shortlist, which includes five brick projects he finds monotonous. He called attention to the importance of carbon, biodiversity, and community involvement in preserving at-risk structures like the 1960s Shirehall in Shropshire. McCloud also voiced concerns about the insufficient focus on design quality in social housing amid anticipated changes to England's National Planning Policy Framework.
Key facts
- Kevin McCloud has presented Grand Designs since it first aired in 1999 on Channel 4
- McCloud said UK residential architecture is seeing a rise in playful elements and that everyone has got a bit more relaxed
- He highlighted a steady return to arches in homes as an age-old motif that can soar as a vault and also ground a building
- The 2026 Stirling Prize shortlist features five brick-built buildings and has been criticised by some commentators as samey
- McCloud said he takes such criticism with a pinch of salt, noting shortlisted housing is often reappraised positively 10 years later
- He cited renewed interest in carbon, including biodiversity, land management and sequestering carbon into soil through planting and trees
- He pointed to the 1960s Shirehall in Shropshire, a modernist council-owned office building currently up for sale, as a building worth saving
- McCloud said the word quality is still missing from planning policy and expressed tentative hope about recent changes to England's National Planning Policy Framework
Entities
Artists
- Kevin McCloud
- Sergison Bates
- Tom Raffield
- Emanuel Admassu
Institutions
- Grand Designs
- Channel 4
- Dezeen
- Stirling Prize
- RIBA
- Shirehall
- Dezeen In Depth
Locations
- United Kingdom
- Britain
- England
- Shropshire
- Epping Forest
- Cornwall
Sources
- Dezeen —