The evolution of design in architecture, and ultimately the North American home, has been on a plateau for sometime now. Jan Michl, a professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, encapsulated the phenomenon best: "Design is redesign." The square will always be the square and the rectangle will always be the rectangle, how we choose to fit them together is what makes the end product unique. On the other hand, there is only so much one can do with a rectangle.

Every home, whether it is a detached house or 500 square foot condominium, has borne the mark of standardized home design since the 1950's. Sizes of spaces gradually expanded and shrunk according to economic trends, but for the most part things have not evolved too much during the last 60 years; at least when it comes to housing design. Consider the apartment Lucy and Ricky rented in the 50's. It had all the components of a typical starter home, except it was an apartment. The kitchen was small; the living room not much bigger and there was just one bathroom. When the Ricardos bought their first home Lucy was enraptured by the massive kitchen, a foreshadowing of a trend that will emerge again and again throughout history.

The Brady Bunch house is a great example of increased room sizes in the average family home of the 1970's. Sure they had six kids, but the kitchen was massive and the living room was probably larger than Lucy's whole apartment. Not to mention the football field sized back yard. The mid-1980's and 1990's saw slightly smaller homes, but with more bathrooms, a home office, three car garages and of course the infamous California stucco. Also, let's not forget those single paned windows with condensation issues that led to mold in walls and sills.

The point here is the needs of the average North American family do not change all that much, so the housing doesn't change very much. Sure there are trends that add a few square feet here and there, perhaps a second or third bathroom, even a secondary suite; but as long as adults will raise children in a structure with several rooms for differing purposes - home design will languish. That's ok though, because technology is always advancing and that means building techniques are making our homes warmer, dryer and safer.

Remember the hovel Ralph and Alice Kramden rented on The Honeymooners? It was small, dank, and one dimensional. Even though the set was a statement of the economic times, it really gives us a good historical reference for building construction during that time. The typical apartment building of the era (1930-1950) had walls made from lath and plaster, no insulation beyond a few newspapers tossed in between the walls. Throughout all 39 episodes of The Honeymooners, Ralph could always be relied upon to call out for his upstairs neighbour and best friend Norton. Sometimes he used the kitchen window, sometimes Norton showed up at a convenient moment after overhearing a conversation through the floor. Today, the same scenario would simply not exist.

Looking at the construction of a typical four story apartment building, we may find a deep slab foundation with reinforced concrete, along with steel expansion joints and fire proof cinderblock walls between units. Plus, the floors could be concrete panels on structural joists or at the very least steel supporting beams insulated with sound deadening spray foam insulation and pink batt. Outer doors for each unit would be heavy duty, as well as fire resistant. Windows would be double paned thermal and well insulated. Sound is vibration, so it will still travel through these modern materials. Nevertheless, Norton would not hear Ralph yelling with Alice, and Trixie would certainly not be able to summon Norton back to the dinner table without actually coming downstairs.

Design is redesign, yes, for sure. A cube is a cube is a cube, but what is in the cube and what the lines are drawn with evolves with technology. The evolution of building insulation from newspapers to closed cell polyurethane foam that can repel moisture and keep the home warm is truly revolutionary. Single paned windows in aluminum frames have evolved into double and triple panes in vinyl, wood and steel frames that maintain indoor temperatures and eliminate excess condensation. Heating and cooling costs are less for families, plus they are happier and safer in their homes.