National Building Museum Exhibition Explores the Changing American Household

The National Building Museum today opens its new "Making Room: Housing for a Changing America" exhibition, which will run until September 2018.

The website announcing and promoting the exhibition notes the changing complexion of households in the United States. In 1950, nuclear families represented 43 percent of the nation's households, in 1970 it was 40 percent, and now it's 20 percent.

"A groundswell of action by housing entrepreneurs, however, is beginning to expand our options—making room for new models and design solutions," according to the NBM website. "Looking beyond typical choices and layouts, they are offering alternatives at all levels of the market, from micro-units, tiny houses, and accessory apartments to cohousing, co-living, and beyond."

The centerpiece of the "Making Room" exhibition is the Open House: a home designed for the exhibition by architect Pierluigi Colombo. "The Open House features a hyper-efficient layout, movable walls, and multifunctional furniture, allowing the space to meet the needs of a variety of today’s growing but underserved households," according to the website.