Living Architecture

Living Architecture is a not-for-profit holiday home rental company in the United Kingdom.^[1][2] It was founded by philosopher and writer Alain de Botton, who launched the scheme in 2010 in what its website claims is the first programme of its kind.^[3] The aim is to make exceptional buildings available for more people to experience by commissioning them from leading architects as holiday homes.

The Balancing Barn

The houses include:

• The Balancing Barn, near Aldeburgh, Suffolk: opened October 2010. Architect: MVRDV with Mole as Executive Architect
• The Shingle House, Dungeness, Kent: opened Nov 2010. Architect: Nord architecture
• The Dune House, Thorpeness, Suffolk: opened Dec 2010. Architect: JVA with Mole as Executive Architect
• A Room for London, on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London: opened 2012. A collaboration with cultural organisation Artangel. Launched as part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Architect: David Kohn^[4] and artist Fiona Banner.^[5]
• The Long House, Cockthorpe, Norfolk: opening Oct 2011. Architect: Hopkins Architects
• Secular Retreat, near Salcombe, Devon: Completed in 2019. Architect: Peter Zumthor with Mole as Executive Architect^[6]
• A House for Essex (or "Julie’s House"), Wrabness, Essex: opened in 2015. Created by the artist Grayson Perry, working with Fashion Architecture Taste (FAT)^[7][8][9]