Lindsay Wu

Past and Present Futures: Exhibiting Domesticity

This thesis examines contemporary and historic housing trends, seen through the model home’s exhibition of domesticity. Western Woods’ postwar Trend House Program showcased affordable, architectdesigned, single-family model homes for Canadian consumers, displaying contemporary design trends and new modes of domesticity for the postwar future. What is today’s Trend House? What futures do we face, and envision? The Tiny House Movement provides one answer: making first-time homeownership more accessible and reducing resource consumption. I propose a new exhibition of model homes near Toronto’s Design District, exhibiting past, present, and future modes of domesticity.

Advisor: Laura Miller