There’s an interesting report here from the government’s advisors on architecture that says:
New homes do not provide enough space for everyday activities such as preparing food easily, having friends round for dinner, or even recycling.
CABE conducted the research with the owners of 2,500 private new homes, to explore views on the adequacy of internal space.
Forty four per cent of all households surveyed say they do not have enough space for small children to play safely in the kitchen while meals are being prepared, and 37 per cent say they or their children do not have enough space to entertain guests privately.
Seventy two per cent do not have enough space for the three small bins required to recycle properly; and 35 per cent do not have the kitchen space for basic cooking appliances such as a toaster or a microwave. Fifty seven per cent do not have enough storage, and 47 per cent cannot accommodate all the furniture they have, or would like to have….
There’s coverage on this in the Guardian here and here:
Among the smallest homes on the market recently were Barratt Homes’ “Manhattan pods” in Harlow, Essex, which have 34 square metres of space and a living room measuring three by 3.6 metres.
The Architects Journal reports on this here.