Attention, anyone who can afford to do so: BUILD. FUCKING. HOUSES.
NOW.
Thats all it takes. If you can afford to buy a lot, buy one. If it's commercial, build small condos or apartments. If it's residential, build a duplex or triplex or 4plex.
Sell or rent them cheap. Make a little profit, not a ton. Cooperate with the city or state or county. Help someone other than you.
#Greed #LowCostHousing
- - -
Phoenix is short 59,000 housing units for low-income residents
Perkins & Will uses wind direction to shape LA low-income housing complex
Architecture firm Perkins & Will has released designs for a three-building, low-income housing complex in Los Angeles that includes permanent supportive housing.
Sited in the San Fernando Valley northwest of the city proper, Corazón del Valle will consist of three curved masses that the studio described as "fluid".
The shape, according to Perkins & Will, was dictated by the southwesterly winds that flow through the valley.
Each of the three structures has its own courtyard in addition to the open space between the buildings, and the whole complex sits a storey above street level, with a perforated concrete block wall encasing parking areas and retail.
Perkins & Will designed Corazón del Valle based on the prevailing winds of the San Fernando Valley
"Funnelled through the massing into the landscape and drawn through the courtyards to bring fresh air into the shared spaces, gardens, and units," said the studio. "This negative space drives the design of the project and shapes the landscape."
Of the three structures, two will be smaller and rounded while the other will stretch out across the length of the site.
The surrounding neighbourhood is made up of a Goodwill facility, car parks and a high school.
Gates will lead up from the street to the elevated first floor
This urban placement and a large amount of concrete, in addition to the usually arid climate of Los Angeles' interior, increased the necessity of utilising the cooling winds.
The long volume will guide the wind to cool the public outdoor areas between the masses and the courtyards within the three structures.
In turn, this air supply will be used to ventilate the interiors.
The public spaces will be filled with greenery
To increase energy efficiency, the design has plants that will be irrigated with greywater from on-site laundry to mitigate the often dire water shortages in southern California, as well as an array of solar panels on the rooftops.
The project, with an anticipated completion date of 2024, will have 90 large family units and 90 permanent supportive housing units.
Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is a model "that combines low-barrier affordable housing, health care, and supportive services to help individuals and families lead more stable lives" according to the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council.
A central courtyard will run between the buildings
The PSH will include both studio and one-bedroom apartments.
The affordable aspects of the remainder of the accommodation will be two- and three-bedroom apartments.
In LA, as in most of the US, affordable housing is considered rent that costs less than 30 per cent of the household income, monthly, with the low-income bar in LA set to $66,000 (£50,000) per year.
[
Read:
Marc Thorpe designs Kampala houses made from local soil bricks
](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/26/marc-thorpe-kampala-houses-90-per-cent-local-soil/)
"At the beginning of the project, the Clifford Beers team met with the Supervisorial and Council District staff to discuss community outreach efforts and have coordinated with both offices ever since," said Yan Krymsky, design principal for Perkins & Will. "They continue to have monthly updates."
Krmysky also noted that the building started out as a 120-unit project but "increased in density due to support for affordable housing in the community".
Each building will also include retail as well as carved-out, covered public spaces, and indoor communities rooms on the first floor. Rooftop spaces will also be included and renderings show them coated in a bright orange paint with sail shading.
"Each massing contains a smaller courtyard that defines a smaller community and flows into the larger public spaces, naturally scaling from public to private, from communal to one’s own," said Perkins & Will.
Carved-out public spaces will provide shaded spots to gather
The ground floor of the project will include 2,000 square feet (186 square metres) of what the studio called "community supportive offices".
"The commercial space on the ground floor of Corazón del Valle will be occupied by the San Fernando Community Health Center, which will provide medical, dental, and lab services to residents as well as the community at large," said Krymsky.
A ground-breaking ceremony will take place in late April 2022 with LA's city council president planned to be in attendance.
Other housing complexes in the city include Brooks + Scarpa's recently completed 11 NOHO block in North Hollywood, as well as a project where shipping containers were used to build a community for the homeless.
The post Perkins & Will uses wind direction to shape LA low-income housing complex appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #residential #architecture #news #losangeles #california #usa #solarpower #housing #lowcosthousing #perkinswill
Perkins & Will uses wind direction to shape LA low-income housing complex
Architecture firm Perkins & Will has released designs for a three-building, low-income housing complex in Los Angeles that includes permanent supportive housing.
Sited in the San Fernando Valley northwest of the city proper, Corazón del Valle will consist of three curved masses that the studio described as "fluid".
The shape, according to Perkins & Will, was dictated by the southwesterly winds that flow through the valley.
Each of the three structures has its own courtyard in addition to the open space between the buildings, and the whole complex sits a storey above street level, with a perforated concrete block wall encasing parking areas and retail.
Perkins & Will designed Corazón del Valle based on the prevailing winds of the San Fernando Valley
"Funnelled through the massing into the landscape and drawn through the courtyards to bring fresh air into the shared spaces, gardens, and units," said the studio. "This negative space drives the design of the project and shapes the landscape."
Of the three structures, two will be smaller and rounded while the other will stretch out across the length of the site.
The surrounding neighbourhood is made up of a Goodwill facility, car parks and a high school.
Gates will lead up from the street to the elevated first floor
This urban placement and a large amount of concrete, in addition to the usually arid climate of Los Angeles' interior, increased the necessity of utilising the cooling winds.
The long volume will guide the wind to cool the public outdoor areas between the masses and the courtyards within the three structures.
In turn, this air supply will be used to ventilate the interiors.
The public spaces will be filled with greenery
To increase energy efficiency, the design has plants that will be irrigated with greywater from on-site laundry to mitigate the often dire water shortages in southern California, as well as an array of solar panels on the rooftops.
The project, with an anticipated completion date of 2024, will have 90 large family units and 90 permanent supportive housing units.
Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is a model "that combines low-barrier affordable housing, health care, and supportive services to help individuals and families lead more stable lives" according to the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council.
A central courtyard will run between the buildings
The PSH will include both studio and one-bedroom apartments.
The affordable aspects of the remainder of the accommodation will be two- and three-bedroom apartments.
In LA, as in most of the US, affordable housing is considered rent that costs less than 30 per cent of the household income, monthly, with the low-income bar in LA set to $66,000 (£50,000) per year.
[
Read:
Marc Thorpe designs Kampala houses made from local soil bricks
](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/26/marc-thorpe-kampala-houses-90-per-cent-local-soil/)
"At the beginning of the project, the Clifford Beers team met with the Supervisorial and Council District staff to discuss community outreach efforts and have coordinated with both offices ever since," said Yan Krymsky, design principal for Perkins & Will. "They continue to have monthly updates."
Krmysky also noted that the building started out as a 120-unit project but "increased in density due to support for affordable housing in the community".
Each building will also include retail as well as carved-out, covered public spaces, and indoor communities rooms on the first floor. Rooftop spaces will also be included and renderings show them coated in a bright orange paint with sail shading.
"Each massing contains a smaller courtyard that defines a smaller community and flows into the larger public spaces, naturally scaling from public to private, from communal to one’s own," said Perkins & Will.
Carved-out public spaces will provide shaded spots to gather
The ground floor of the project will include 2,000 square feet (186 square metres) of what the studio called "community supportive offices".
"The commercial space on the ground floor of Corazón del Valle will be occupied by the San Fernando Community Health Center, which will provide medical, dental, and lab services to residents as well as the community at large," said Krymsky.
A ground-breaking ceremony will take place in late April 2022 with LA's city council president planned to be in attendance.
Other housing complexes in the city include Brooks + Scarpa's recently completed 11 NOHO block in North Hollywood, as well as a project where shipping containers were used to build a community for the homeless.
The post Perkins & Will uses wind direction to shape LA low-income housing complex appeared first on Dezeen.
#all #residential #architecture #news #losangeles #california #usa #solarpower #housing #lowcosthousing #perkinswill
Marc Thorpe designs Kampala houses made from local soil bricks
Architect Marc Thorpe has unveiled renderings of a set of houses in Uganda that will be constructed almost entirely from bio-bricks made from local soil and feature solar-panelled roofs.
Scheduled for completion this spring, Marc Thorpe is working on the project with social housing company Échale and Stage Six, an organisation that describes itself as supporting businesses in becoming sustainable franchises.
Ten houses will be built just outside of Kampala
The group will initially produce 10 houses of the same size just outside of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, but hopes to expand the project in the region once this first stage is complete.
Comprised of just one storey each, the bungalows will be built from Échale's patented Ecoblocks, which are bio-bricks made of 90 per cent local soil, with a mixture of cement, sand, lime and water accounting for the rest of the material.
Bricks made from soil will be used to construct the project
"Ecoblock is a bioclimatic, thermal and acoustic insulator – ecological and more resistant than cement block," Thorpe told Dezeen.
"This, in turn, makes it locally sourced and fully recyclable, producing 30 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions," he continued.
Each house will feature a water tower
According to Thorpe, other sustainable features of the Kampala houses will include large, flat roofs made from corrugated steel and wood that are designed to hold solar panels that will generate electricity.
Each house's roof will also be fitted with gutters connected to an adjacent water tower so that rainwater harvested from the roofs can be stored and used.
Outside areas will be shaded by the houses' roofs
Crucially, the houses will have a water tower each rather than relying on a communal one, in order to prevent the community from being deprived of a water supply should there be a drought.
Visitors will enter each standalone property via large terraces that will wrap around the houses' fronts and sides, which will be shaded from the harsh sun by their roofs.
[
Read:
Mounds of surplus soil form walls in Japanese house by ADX
](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/05/31/adx-soil-house-minamisoma-japan-architecture/)
Each house will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a kitchen and living and dining areas.
Wood-burning stoves – commonly found in Ugandan houses – will be placed on the terraces where they will be connected to the kitchens.
Wood-burning stoves will feature on the terraces
According to Thorpe, the project is designed to provide low-cost housing for middle- and lower-income families in Uganda, where the architect, Échale and Stage Six say there is a shortage of housing units.
"We always begin [the design process] with understanding the social, economic and environmental dynamics of a site," said Thorpe.
"We are currently working with a local developer and architect to best understand the programmatic requirements for the area around Kampala."
The properties are designed to provide low-cost housing
Thorpe also explained the reasons for using Ecoblock as the primary material for the Kampala houses, as opposed to more traditional construction materials.
"I think building based on need, using locally sourced materials and environmentally responsible methods that systemically integrate into an ecology is a sound direction," he said.
"If we plan on sticking around on this planet any longer we really don’t have an alternative. My approach to architecture is to design with responsibility and purpose."
Similar projects in Uganda that are driven by sustainability include The Mount Sinai Kyabirwa Surgical Facility, a self-sustaining building by local construction workers that is topped with a solar-panelled canopy.
The renderings are byTruetopia.
The post Marc Thorpe designs Kampala houses made from local soil bricks appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #houses #solarpower #bungalows #soil #lowcosthousing #marcthorpe #uganda #sustainablearchitecture
Tres Birds uses timber and metal to create ADU alongside Boulder home
Smart systems and salvaged materials feature in an accessory dwelling unit by architecture firm Tres Birds that city officials have designated as low-cost housing.
The project is located in Boulder, which sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is home to a major university and growing tech industry.
The ADU is in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains
Built on a 2,100-square-foot (195-square-metre) property with a single-family home, the detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) is meant to serve as a guest house or an in-law suite. Currently, it is occupied by a family member of the owner.
Designed by Tres Birds, a studio based in the nearby city of Denver, the ADU totals 800 square feet (74 square metres) and has two levels.
A spiral staircase leads to a loft space above
The ground level contains a kitchen and living room, along with a bedroom and bathroom.
A spiral staircase leads to a loft space above, which can be used as a second bedroom, an office or a den. Lined with a metal railing, the loft is open to below.
Tres Birds fitted the home with a gabled roof
The wood-framed, rectangular home is topped with a gabled roof designed to quickly shed snow. Windows and roof overhangs were strategically positioned to maximise natural light while also providing adequate shade in the summer.
Facades are clad in bonderised steel – a durable material that helps the home be low-maintenance. Inside the dwelling, walls were made of exposed plywood.
Plywood sheathing is also exposed on the home's interior
"We insulated from the outside so that the plywood sheathing structure of the building could be exposed to the inside," the team said.
Tres Birds used salvaged materials for several parts of the building. For instance, wood from bowling alley lanes was used for flooring and framing.
Wood from bowling alley lanes was used for flooring and framing
"The warm-toned, 50-year-old bowling alley wood is used as a structurally independent, mezzanine floor system and laminated together to create the east-side, timber-frame window system," the team said.
Other salvaged elements include "reject tile" from a local artisan, which was used in the bathroom and kitchen.
"Reject tile" clads the bathroom
For the home's operable skylight, the team used dichroic glass – multi-coloured glass with reflective properties – that was left over from a past Tres Bird project.
"As the angle of the sun changes throughout the day and season, so do the visual effects within the living space, creating a vibrant show of coloured light throughout," the team said of the skylight.
A dichroic glass skylight reflects multi-coloured light into the home
The building has a number of features that promote energy efficiency, including an air-tight envelope and a radiant floor system for heating and cooling.
Several elements can be controlled by smartphone, including lighting, security, heating and cooling, and the operable skylight.
The home has scored high on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index, which is one of the leading energy-efficiency assessment tools in the US.
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Read:
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](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/19/bunch-design-colourful-granny-flat-adu-los-angeles/)
A score of 100 represent the energy use of a standard building in America. The lower the score, the higher the energy efficiency.
"The home received a HERS score of 33, not far off from Europe's stringent Passive House requirement of HERS 20," said the studio.
Wood also lines ceilings in the bedroom
The small building has been designated an "Affordable Accessory Unit" rental property by the city of Boulder as part of its affordable housing programme. The Colorado city is facing a housing shortage, particularly in regards to middle- and low-cost housing.
A maximum rental price was not disclosed, but the architect's publicist said if the ADU were listed, the cost would be limited to about 75 per cent of the area's median price for a comparable unit.
The ADU is meant to serve as a guest house
Founded in 2000, Tres Birds has placed a focus on economical and sustainable design.
Other projects by the studio include S*PARK, a mixed-use project in Denver with facades made of reclaimed brick, and a Wisconsin art museum that has concrete exterior with screens made of angled, timber slats.
The photography is byJames Florio.
Project credits:
Architecture, interior design, landscape: Tres Birds
Facade cladding and roofing: Signature Services Roofing
Doors: Tres Birds
Windows: Anderson
Stairs: Paragon Stairs
Base cabinets: IKEA
Countertops: Porcelanosa
Appliances: KitchenAid
Plumbing fixtures: Kohler
Furniture: Isamu Noguchi, Sori Yanagi, Charles and Ray Eames, Tres Birds
Artwork: Berger&Fohr, Gregg Deal, Michael M Moore
The post Tres Birds uses timber and metal to create ADU alongside Boulder home appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #usa #skylights #gables #lowcosthousing #reclaimedmaterials #accessorydwellingunits #colorado
Blue co-housing complex by Productora fits eight units onto two Denver lots
Architecture firm Productora has completed a small housing complex in Denver, Colorado, that provides eight units with shared amenities on a lot that would typically accommodate only two single-family homes.
Located at the corner of East 36th Avenue and North Merion Street, just north of downtown Denver, the project was commissioned by real estate developer Continuum Partners in collaboration with local non-profit Biennial of the Americas.
The housing complex sits on the corner of two streets in North Denver
"This experimental project is located in the first belt of low-density neighborhoods surrounding downtown Denver at only two miles of the city centre," said Productora. "It provides centrally located, low-cost housing for individuals or couples while integrating within the morphology of the suburban environment."
The team realised that buildings designed as single-family homes in areas such as North Denver are often shared by multiple smaller households. The goal of this project was to better reflect the reality of residents' living arrangements.
Two identical sets of houses have mirrored layouts
"The project acknowledges how larger single-family residences in well-located neighborhoods are frequently shared by roommates and friends, and was designed to cater to those needs," Productora explained.
Their design comprises two identical sets of houses with mirrored layouts. A larger volume sits at the front the lot, facing the street, and contains three studios and a shared kitchen and living room. At the back of the property, two accessory dwelling units – or ADUs – bring the total number of units to eight.
External materials are left blue to save on costs
"Integrating shared kitchen and living room, laundry areas, a powder room, and paved outdoor areas, the project stages a subtle balance between the need for privacy and the possibility of social interaction," Productora added.
Each of the studios enjoys its own ensuite, as well as a kitchenette and second sink. The ground floor is set up with a communal area that includes a full kitchen, and enough space for shared meals. These face each other and can open out to a shared patio via sliding glass doors.
Kitchen and living areas are designed to be shared between residents
"The front houses have double-height entrance areas, and the communal kitchen and living areas have large glazed surfaces to interact with each other," the architects explained.
Gabled roofs echo the typical profile of neighbouring buildings. However, these are much steeper and stand out through their shade of bright blue.
According to the architects, this is the standard colour in which the materials were provided, which allowed them to reduce construction costs. Matching the roofs, the exterior wooden facades are clad in vertical boards and battens finished in a similar hue.
To meet the limited budget, Productora used standard details throughout all four buildings. Still, the interiors offer light-filled and unpretentious living spaces.
Neutral interiors contrast the buildings' bold blue facades
Productora is based in Mexico City, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, where the firm frequently collaborate with Part Office.
Increasing density and house prices in cities, along with changing demographic trends, have increased interest in co-living arrangements. Other examples include a micro-apartment concept in Seoul that is meant to be a "blank canvas" for residents, and a house in London that was reconfigured to offer living and rehearsal spaces to seven music students.
The photography is byOnnis Luque.
Project credits:
Architectural design: Productora (Carlos Bedoya, Wonne Ickx, Víctor Jaime, Abel Perles)
Local architect and contractor: Joe Dooling (DDB)
Collaborators: Ruy Berumen, Emiliano Rode, Tessa Watson
The post Blue co-housing complex by Productora fits eight units onto two Denver lots appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #usa #housing #lowcosthousing #coliving #denver #productora #colorado
Colombian construction company creates affordable homes using coffee waste
This one-minute video shows how a local construction company is using waste coffee husks to build affordable and eco-friendly housing for communities in Colombia.
Woodpecker WPC creates sustainable, low-income housing using recycled coffee waste.
Husks and other waste from the coffee production process are turned into prefabricated blocks used for construction, which can then be assembled into homes without the use of specialised training or tools.
The houses are quick and easy to build, and due to their lightweight nature can be transported to rural and difficult-to-access areas where infrastructure is most needed. Kits can be moved by helicopter, boat, or even on the back of a donkey.
Around 3,000 houses and 20 schools have been built with this technique to date, according to Woodpecker WPC's CEO Alejandro Franco.
In one recent campaign, 680 climate-adaptable homes were built in the Upper Guajira region of Colombia for the indigenous Wayuu community. The region has been suffering from the effects of climate change and has been devastated by droughts in recent years.
Read more about sustainable architecture on Dezeen ›
The post Colombian construction company creates affordable homes using coffee waste appeared first on Dezeen.
#architecture #videos #colombia #lowcosthousing #oneminutevideos #sustainablearchitecture
Colombian construction company creates affordable homes using coffee waste
This one-minute video shows how a local construction company is using waste coffee husks to build affordable and eco-friendly housing for communities in Colombia.
Woodpecker WPC creates sustainable, low-income housing using recycled coffee waste.
Husks and other waste from the coffee production process are turned into prefabricated blocks used for construction, which can then be assembled into homes without the use of specialised training or tools.
The houses are quick and easy to build, and due to their lightweight nature can be transported to rural and difficult-to-access areas where infrastructure is most needed. Kits can be moved by helicopter, boat, or even on the back of a donkey.
Around 3,000 houses and 20 schools have been built with this technique to date, according to Woodpecker WPC's CEO Alejandro Franco.
In one recent campaign, 680 climate-adaptable homes were built in the Upper Guajira region of Colombia for the indigenous Wayuu community. The region has been suffering from the effects of climate change and has been devastated by droughts in recent years.
Read more about sustainable architecture on Dezeen ›
The post Colombian construction company creates affordable homes using coffee waste appeared first on Dezeen.
#architecture #videos #colombia #lowcosthousing #oneminutevideos #sustainablearchitecture
Max-A builds low-cost modular cabin overlooking Lake Ranco in Chile
Chilean studio Max-A combined local materials with modular construction to keep costs down on Casa Tobita, a holiday home built for less that £115,000.
Located on the east side of Lake Ranco, the fourth biggest lake in Chile, the single-storey house is a rural retreat for couple Cristóbal Concha and Francisca Eguiguren.
The total build cost for the 270 square-metre project was 110 million Chilean pesos, which equates to just under £115,000, or £425 per square metre.
Max-A principal Maximiliano Noguera Balmaceda achieved this by designing a house that could be easily constructed by local builders, using materials that can be sourced from the region, to reduce transport costs.
The modular construction approach was also key, allowing Casa Tobita to be built quickly with minimal waste.
"Every time our firm is faced with projects in remote locations, we thoroughly investigate the area for available construction material, local consultants and construction teams," explained Noguera Balmaceda.
"By designing with modules, we not only reduce waste but also accelerate the construction process, making it possible to have the finished home in short time frames," he continued.
"Using predefined measurements allowed us to work with locally produced wood and play with fitting programmatic needs into these dimensions while not losing spatial quality."
The wood they chose was radiata pine, also known as Monterey pine because it originates from Mexico. This wood was treated with a grey oil stabiliser on the exterior, which gives the building its dark colour.
The structure is raised off the ground, minimising its impact on the landscape. Similarly, the overhanging roof is a separate element elevated above the building volume.
According to the architect, these two moves help to "maintain the thermal mass of the house and buffer the intensive rainfall present in the Los Rios region of Chile".
The modular construction gives the building a linear interior layout. There are two wings, positioned at a 30-degree angle from each other, which are both sheltered under the continuous, angular roof.
The largest of the two wings contains the main living spaces, including three bedrooms, a TV room, and an open-plan kitchen, lounge and dining space.
The smaller wing contains two independent bedrooms and bathrooms, designed to host extended family and guests. There's also a sheltered terrace in between, which can be made more open or closed with a system of full-height doors.
Noguera Balmaceda hopes that these customised details give Casa Tobita a bespoke feeling, even though the design is very simple.
"We hope the owners and visitors take away how a house can uniquely respond to a specific site and still be considered a modular design," he added.
Other Chilean homes on Dezeen include an angular pavilion overlooking the Pacific Ocean that has a cantilevered upper floor to take advantage of the views and a blackened pine-clad house designed by architects Pablo Saric and Cristian Winckler.
Photography is by Nico Saieh.
Project credits:
Architects: Max-A Arquitectura + Arquitectura del Paisaje
Architects in charge: Maximiliano Noguera, Alejandra Marambio
Structural engineering: Max-A
Lighting: Espacio Negro
The post Max-A builds low-cost modular cabin overlooking Lake Ranco in Chile appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #modulararchitecture #houses #holidayhomes #chile #chileanhouses #lowcosthousing
SO-IL builds Las Americas affordable housing development in Mexico
New York firm SO-IL has completed this low rise yet high-density affordable housing development in León, Mexico, with apartments arranged around courtyards.
The project, called Las Americas, is a six-storey concrete block of homes divided into 60 apartments.
The development is in inner-city León
Maximising the plot's buildable footprint, the homes hug two interior courtyards that provide cross ventilation to the development.
At the base of the block, there are two units reserved for community use and future commercial activity, as well as access to parking.
SO-IL built Las Americas in collaboration with a local housing agency, Instituto Municipal de Vivienda de León (IMUVI) and the City of León.
Las Americas has 60 stacked apartments
The development is intended as a prototype to address current housing issues in many parts of Mexico, where individual homes are built far apart from each other, making commuting into city centres difficult for residents.
"Low-rise and high-density is the way to go for housing, allowing people to live close to services and infrastructure," SO-IL co-founder Florian Idenburg told Dezeen.
"The challenge was to make high-density pleasant. We believe this project does that," continued Idenburg.
Las Americas focuses on urban regeneration of inner-city León, making use of an existing urban area rather than building on the city's outskirts where amenities are limited.
"Traditional notions of homeownership currently lock developments into becoming acres of identical free-standing homes in remote areas far from the economic centre," explained SO-IL.
The dwellings overlook two interior courtyards
The firm's objective was to create a large number of homes that appealed to their residents as much as traditional spaced-out dwellings.
SO-IL incorporated a sense of privacy into the development's design, so no two units face one another. With courtyard and neighbourhood views, each apartment is given a sense of private homeownership.
Due to the project's limited budget, Las Americas has shared utility cores and is built from prefabricated components.
Concrete forms the facade of Las Americas
Reflecting on the project, Idenburg acknowledged what SO-IL has learnt from completing the housing development.
"The most important lesson for us was to have faith in the process, without being set on an outcome. As architects we make plans, but we should not be afraid to adjust."
Idenburg also considered how the concrete bricks SO-IL developed for Las Americas shaped ways that the firm thinks about material and labour practices.
"We were able to include many more people in the construction process. Every block can be carried by a single person, so in some ways, you can see the human hand in the wall."
SO-IL is currently constructing another building project in Brooklyn, New York, which takes cues from Las Americas' exterior circulation and the relationship between inside and outside spaces.
C0-founded in 2008 by Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu, SO-IL has completed many projects focusing on improving urban environments, such as an interactive installation at an Atlanta art museum made from net hammocks and bird feeders, and a flower-shaped prefabricated house for Los Angeles.
Photography is by Iwan Baan.
The post SO-IL builds Las Americas affordable housing development in Mexico appeared first on Dezeen.
#residential #all #architecture #concrete #planning #mexico #news #soil #housing #lowcosthousing
