opposite office proposes to transform london’s buckingham palace into affordable housing

munich based architecture practice, opposite office, has proposed an ambitious scheme to transform london‘s buckingham palace into affordable housing. the idea is inspired by the UK’s current housing crisis and the so-called ‘generation rent’ who are struggling to afford london’s exorbitant house prices. the concept therefore suggests turning the queen’s residence, comprising of 775 rooms and 79 bathrooms, into housing for the masses.

all images courtesy of opposite office

opposite office has envisioned a large extension to the existing structure of the palace, in order to provide living spaces for 50,000 people. the plan employs an efficient system of spatial sequences, resulting in an innovative shared community living space where residents would live harmoniously together. the large capacity is achieved by a design that contains no corridors and hardly any circulation areas. eight staircases connect the apartments and create plenty of space for living. the fantastical concept sees the refurbishment and extension of buckingham palace as a means to improve the sovereign’s social standing and help solve the country’s issue of affordable housing – all they need now is permission from queen elizabeth.

interior view of one of the proposed staircases

interior view into the social housing units

the proposed floor plan created by a very efficient system of spatial sequences

a close-up of the floor plan showing equally sized rooms that can be taken over by residents

an exploded view showing the proposed extension and eight new staircases connecting the apartments

project info:

architect: opposite office

location: buckingham palace, london

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