How can you know where you are going if you do not know where you have been? This is a pertinent question, not just for those on physical journeys but for organisations too. At HRF we have a strong sense of where we come from. The vision or compass, to continue the metaphor, which led to our formation in 2006 is unchanged: to champion the value of home to society through our research, communication and expertise.
While our vision remains unchanged, the world in which we work has changed markedly over the last 16 years. Advances in technology and especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence have found their way into our homes and impacted our relationships. Covid19 and our responses to it have blurred the lines between home and workplace. Climate emergencies, rising energy costs, escalating migration and economic uncertainty in the wake of war in Ukraine do not stay as news headlines, but affect us all in our day-to-day home lives.
A secure organisation, built on good foundations, always looks forward, not just by reacting to the current situation, but by being sensitive to what is around the corner too. This was very much the feeling when members of the HRF Board of Directors met in Barcelona, as the guests of IESE this month. Agenda items included the progress of our proposed publication addressing the real questions posed by migration: Home and People on the Move, our November Expert Meeting on Home, Family and Climate Change, and plans to partner further academic institutions in our pioneering research strands. These include the ethics of responsible AI, which is a testament to how The Home in the Digital Age continues as a key resource in this field.
While Directors were in Barcelona, they were also the guests of our partners, ICWF for their inspirational 10th International Conference of Work and Family: Re-thinking Work-Family. This partnership affirms HRF’s core vision that the work of the home benefits everyone in society. As we told you, during the conference Dr Stephen Davies, launched our latest publication: Happiness and Domestic Life. Dr Davies persuasive chapter on “The Kitchenless House” focused on how changes in home design impact on human well-being. A topic that links back, happily, to HRF’s first conferences on Excellence in the Home, and on Architecture, making explicit all we build on today.
In summary, HRF’s work has never been more relevant and valuable: our past archive and legacy, our current work-in-hand, and all that is next in providing a trusted voice for every home.
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