Title

Author(s)

Ed Green

Affiliation

Welsh School of Architecture

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/VHWH8742

Keywords

Home, Storytelling, Retrofit

PP

434-441

How to Cite

Green, Ed. “Stories of Home Imaginative Storytelling as a Tool for Successful Adaptation.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 434–441. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

Homes are essential, shaping and recording the lives of their inhabitants. Each lived experience is made richer or poorer through the quality of places they provide. The UK, meanwhile, has the oldest, worst performing homes in Europe, and an enduring housing crisis. And so, international decarbonisation targets that demand widespread adaptation present a unique opportunity to improve all of our homes and neighbourhoods. But a one-size-fits-all technical approach to adaptation threatens to do the reverse – making them worse places to live by erasing character, history, meaning and distinctiveness. This paper explores the potential use of storytelling as a tool for the successful adaptation of homes.
Storytelling is the primary method for an ongoing research project: Stories of Home. The project analyses the adaptation of archetypal dwellings by telling stories that describe their past, present and future. Each unique story is a part-fictional account of adaptation over time, synthesising historical material with personal reflections, digital modelling and creative speculation. Through storytelling, the lived experience is described in parallel with more measurable qualities of ‘home’. Distinct voices – the constructor, the occupant, the dwelling itself – speak collectively about the importance of understanding different perspectives and agendas. Each narrative is shaped to make the story as useful as possible. This paper describes the methods that are being adopted for this research. It draws conclusions that outline how storytelling – as a method for collectively writing and sharing narratives – could result in adaptation that is more informed, insightful and enriching. Importantly, storytelling provides freedom to speculate on opportunities and possibilities that have not yet been considered. Stories enable us to imagine a future beyond established practice, and seek ways to make our homes and neighbourhoods better places to live.

Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai

Publisher
STH Press, Firenze

ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263

Year
2026

Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.