Human needs in relation to home attachment: Towards a theoretical framework to architectural affordances in temporary accommodation to aid designers

The current and rising provision of temporary accommodation in the UK does not always meet the needs of residents with one such contributing factor being the often-poor atmospheric qualities within these environments. Temporary accommodation is a broad term for housing provided for those who have previously been homeless, covering different variations of support or tenancy length. Our research synthesises transdisciplinary literature to create a theoretical framework which can be used to inform the design of suitable temporary accommodation by connecting psychological theories in a novel way to shed light on the parameters of the phenomenon of home attachment, specifically physical, architectural elements. Through iterative development and the addition of different theories, the framework is presented stage-by-stage in this paper. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is examined through the lens of architectural and environmental psychology to apply this fundamental, psychological principle to the design and the creation of positive atmospheres in temporary accommodation, which allows for an understanding that architectural design can fulfill various human needs. Finally, a further organisation of literature identifying architectural affordances was conducted by theme related to psychological need. The results of the identified unmet needs in tandem with causal architectural affordances can be used to guide architects, service providers and policymakers in the future design and selection of temporary accommodation, thus improving the experiences of residents.