{"id":29348,"date":"2022-12-07T15:55:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T16:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/?p=29348"},"modified":"2022-12-10T03:43:35","modified_gmt":"2022-12-10T03:43:35","slug":"how-to-solve-the-housing-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/2022\/12\/07\/how-to-solve-the-housing-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"How to solve the housing crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe can build on the Moon\u201d<\/h2>\n

At BIG, Bjarke Ingels takes a luxury approach to a low-cost lifestyle<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t \"Bjarke
\n\t\t\t\tBjarke Ingels\u2019 Mountain Dwellings low-cost-housing project in \u00d8restad, Copenhagen \u00a9 Jakob Boserup
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What does the race to build the first permanent residence on the south pole of the Moon have to do with the creation of low-cost housing on Earth? Bjarke Ingels of international architecture practice Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has the answer. \u201cWe have a partnership with a 3D-printing company in the US called Icon 3D, and we\u2019re working with them for Nasa to design the first building on the Moon. The project is called Olympus. It will be built using lunar regolith, and will accommodate four astronauts for up to a month at a time.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

This giant step for mankind could potentially be a giant leap for affordable housing. \u201cWe\u2019re currently working on a top-secret project with the same company, which will provide extremely low-cost housing, and have just broken ground on 100 3D-printed homes in Georgetown, Texas, where we\u2019re using 3D printers<\/a>, essentially robots, to deliver the major building parts on site,\u201d Ingels says. (This is hoped to offer a solution to the housing shortage, with prices starting around $400,000.) \u201cA robot does not care how much detail it needs to print \u2013 it just assesses the amount of time and the medium needed for it \u2013 and you can produce organic shapes like curves at no extra cost. It\u2019s fascinating that the technology we\u2019re developing out of necessity, because it\u2019s the only way we can build on the Moon, will have a lot of technological advantages that could potentially be the answer to how to make high-quality affordable housing on Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t \"Architect
\n\t\t\t\tArchitect Bjarke Ingels \u00a9 Wallpaper
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Danish architect, 48, who established BIG in 2005, has long been an innovator. He is known for fantastical feats of architecture<\/a>, including New York\u2019s The Spiral, a glistening edifice of glass wrapped in a ribbon of green terraces, and the spiral-shaped Mus\u00e9e Atelier Audemars Piguet in the Vall\u00e9e de Joux, in Switzerland. But this success was built on early innovation in flexible, low-cost housing \u2013 Ingels came to prominence as an architect for two housing projects, VM Houses and Mountain Dwellings in \u00d8restad, Copenhagen. Mountain Dwellings, a bold vision for low-cost living, places apartments above a car park in stepped formation rising to a peak that allows for the provision of green roofs, airy interior spaces and elevated views of the city. The integration of greenery, light and promotion of community was also a feature of the 8 House project in the city (2010), which provides homes for people in all of life\u2019s stages from young to old, and for which Ingels won an American Institute of Architects Honor Award in 2012. \u201cEveryone needs thoughtfully designed homes, but anyone can make a nice meal out of caviar and foie gras,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is what you can do with inexpensive ingredients \u2013 that\u2019s why there is so little good low-cost housing because it is so difficult to do, especially as there are so many regulations and restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"BIG\u2019s
BIG\u2019s 8 House project in Copenhagen, built in 2010 \u00a9 Ty Strange<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ingels has continued to focus on such technological innovations. In 2021, he co-founded the US housing design company Nabr (pronounced neighbour) with the aim of making home ownership more attainable through modular construction and a lease-to-own approach, \u201cwhile applying design not just to the final product, but to the entire process\u201d. This holistic endeavour includes financing. \u201cWe needed to achieve 100 per cent automation on the Moon \u2013 and when you reach those levels of automation with those levels of perfection and predictability they become incredibly advantageous on Earth, especially when looking at financial costs because the longer a construction loan is ongoing, the greater the cost,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

The hope is that mass production will not only streamline how housing is delivered but also build in the kind of quality that one would expect in high-end developments. Nabr is currently planning its first apartment block in Silicon Valley\u2019s San Jos\u00e9, in which modular prefabricated apartments slot into a timber hybrid frame \u2013 a system that will be rolled out to other housing developments. \u201cWe want to ensure that everything we make many of becomes better and better at a more attainable price, in the same way as phones, laptops or flatscreen TVs have become more advanced but also more attainable,\u201d Ingels says. \u201cWe consider multi-family homes as products, as a product line, starting with loft-like apartments, for which people are signing up now. We\u2019re delivering mass timber hybrid structures, 20-storey buildings, which also allows us to incorporate special details such as View Smart windows \u2013 nanotechnology that can change the degree of transparency of windows so you can save between 30 and 40 per cent of your energy costs from cooling by stopping the heat before it enters the apartment,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere are taller ceilings and a column system much like a loft, where you can furnish your home by inserting different carefully manufactured elements. Buyers and renters can essentially customise their own homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Dortheavej
Dortheavej Residences: affordable housing by BIG in Copenhagen \u00a9 Rasmus Hjortshoj<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Inside
Inside Ingels\u2019s Copenhagen development \u00a9 Rasmus Hjortshoj<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ingels is excited about the possibilities. \u201cIronically, just by sticking to the approach of a product line, we can create an almost unlimited degree of customisation on the inside and greater architectural expressions, materials and geometries on the outside,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want to deliver on a scale that I don\u2019t think has been seen before and address what we call \u2018the big middle\u2019 \u2013 people who have good jobs but still can\u2019t afford a good home.\u201d <\/p>\n

He points to the practice\u2019s 2018 affordable housing project Dortheavej Residence in north-west Copenhagen \u2013 66 homes created from prefabricated glass-fronted modules. \u201cWhen you look at the building against the full market rentals that are on all sides of it, it actually looks more generous. Each apartment has floor-to-ceiling glass<\/a>, the guard rails on the balconies are construction site fences but they register as elegant and light,\u201d Ingels says. \u201cAnd because of the way the [apartments] stack, they have huge 3.5m ceilings \u2013 so you end up with something that feels more generous than normal rental homes. The result was that on the day they started the sign-ups there was a long line of people wanting to rent there and after it was full there was a 50-year waiting list.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cA world without walls\u201d<\/h2>\n

Ma Yansong of MAD Architects wants to rethink the Chinese city<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t \"The
\n\t\t\t\tThe Baiziwan Social Housing project in Beijing by MAD Architects
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEvery city in China has high-rise towers because of the density of the population but as a result they all look the same. In China we call it \u20181,000 cities, one look,\u2019\u201d says architect Ma Yansong. The 47-year-old founder of Beijing-based MAD Architects is raising awareness to ensure the cities of the world remain enriched by diversity in the future. This diversity is both in terms of population \u2013 the world\u2019s population hit eight billion for the first time this year, and rapid urbanisation is not only forcing young and low income people out of urban hubs but increasingly the middle class \u2013 and in the breadth of architectural vision. These sorcerers of sci-fi futurism (the practice is behind China\u2019s octopus-like Harbin Opera House and Canada\u2019s shape-shifting Absolute Towers) have since become architectural standard-bearers for the Chinese government, which began intervening in the housing market to provide low-cost homes from around 2013 and have introduced measures such as long-leasing rental, price-controlled housing and youth apartments. <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t \"MAD
\n\t\t\t\tMAD Architects founder Ma Yansong \u00a9 Greg Mei
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Chinese government commissioned MAD to create Beijing\u2019s Baiziwan Social Housing development in its central business district: six blocks surrounded by green spaces and connected by raised walkways. The development, which was completed in 2021, provides an alternative for future affordable housing projects; the focus being on well-designed homes for all in a country where the priority has been for high-value commercial buildings.<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThere have been a few social-housing projects in China in the past five years but they lacked thoughtful design,\u201d says Ma. \u201cPeople don\u2019t feel satisfied with them. The government wants to see if good design<\/a> can provide satisfaction. I want to take that challenge. That\u2019s what drives the practice: we want to be responsible for society. We want to change the image of cities and we hate that architecture has become absent from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restricted budgets prevented Ma from creating the head-turning sculptural statement he is known for. \u201cThis was a good thing in the end \u2013 it was a greater challenge,\u201d he says, pointing out the design is instead guided by the practice\u2019s ethos: balancing nature, urban landscape and society within a vision for the future of cities focused on the spiritual and emotional needs of residents. The Chinese government played its part, providing a chunk of urban real estate covering 93,900sq m for the project. <\/p>\n

\n
\"MAD\u2019s
MAD\u2019s Baiziwan Social Housing features a park raised above street level \u00a9 Tian Fangfang<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Key elements included enhanced sociability and connectivity. \u201cMost housing in China is gated,\u201d Ma says. \u201cBut when social housing is gated, it starts to feel like a prison because there is a sense that others want to isolate the residents. That\u2019s one of the reasons walls and gates exist, because housing has become a tool to divide.\u201d<\/p>\n

The practice\u2019s research (gathered over seven years) formed the backbone of the project \u2013 and a fresh perspective was provided of Ma\u2019s students; he is adjunct professor at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, and is a visiting professor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. \u201cI asked them about their dreams. Because they live in high-density cities nobody\u2019s expectation involved a beautiful villa but there were a lot of ideas about sunshine, good neighbours and the need for interest groups \u2013 something on a social level.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Incorporating elements such as a \u201cfloating park\u201d and \u201cjogging path\u201d helped instil a sense of community. \u201cThe housing and gardens<\/a> are on the second level on a looping runway and the whole compound is open without walls. That\u2019s not an issue in Europe but it\u2019s so rare here,\u201d Ma says. \u201cWhen you open the community, you provide a lot of street at ground level. Urban space is also public space, it\u2019s filled with workplaces and lots of activities and when people live above that, they will feel part of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t \"On
\n\t\t\t\tOn the ground at the Baiziwan social housing development \u00a9 Zhu Yumen
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The project has been a learning curve for all involved \u2013 Ma included \u2013 and not all the residents have been sold on the idea of living in a gateless community. \u201cSome have questioned me about what I am going to do if someone takes their possessions. But that can happen when you have walls,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a learning curve for them too \u2013 how to live openly with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The response to the development has been positive. \u201cThe Beijing media and the public called it \u201cthe most beautiful social housing in China\u2019,\u201d Ma says, and MAD is already working on a new social-housing project. \u201cIt\u2019s in Shenzhen, a city near Hong Kong that has 17.5 million people yet is only 43 years old. It\u2019s grown super-fast and there\u2019s a lot of young people. It\u2019s another, bigger challenge.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n

\u201cYour imagination would explode\u201d<\/h2>\n

RBTA\u2019s Ricardo Bofill Jr is building on his father\u2019s \u201cadventures\u201d<\/h2>\n
\n\t\t\t\t \"La
\n\t\t\t\tLa Muralla Roja in Calpe, Spain, by Ricardo Bofill Lev\u00ed
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spain\u2019s La Muralla Roja (The Red Wall), a russet postmodern monolith rising from the Calpe landscape and facing the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most striking pieces of architecture in the world, is often cited as an extraordinary example of a low-cost-housing complex. It was conceived by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill Lev\u00ed, who in 1968 created 50 units within a labyrinth of bridges and stairs. The building continues to wow on Instagram and inspired the interiors of Netflix\u2019s Squid Game<\/em>. <\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

Ricardo Bofill Jr (his full Spanish name is Ricardo Emilio Bofill Maggiora Vergano), president and chief architect at Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA), who runs the company with his brother, CEO Pablo, well remembers his father\u2019s building. \u201cIt\u2019s built on the idea of a module, combined with space and then another module and so on, but it was more of a low-cost homes resort. It was always an electric place: your imagination would explode, you would want to be a filmmaker, an artist. It really inspired you as a young person to think out of the box \u2013 and to another planet.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t \"RBTA
\n\t\t\t\tRBTA chief architect Ricardo Bofill Jr
\n\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, the firm is involved in massive affordable homes projects in India. \u201cThere\u2019s a real need in India and there\u2019s been a real programme by prime minister Narendra Modi, where they are building some 22 million units \u2013 we\u2019re completing 7,000 units a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bofill says this is an urgent issue globally. \u201cI read that in 2023, despite the contraction of the market, we\u2019re going to reach 200bn sq m of construction worldwide. While Europe is only growing in terms of construction at five or six per cent, in India and in China, they\u2019re growing at 50 or 60 per cent,\u201d he says. \u201cAbout 50 per cent is residential \u2013 and that\u2019s just the mixed use that you have in the city: a balance in the city normally is 50 per cent residential, 25 per cent office, 10 per cent retail then 15 per cent other facilities, so it is the biggest chunk of the sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/blockquote>\n

For architects from southern Europe \u2013 the Spanish, Italians, Greeks and the Portuguese \u2013 Bofill says there has always been a need to do low-cost housing<\/a>. \u201cWe don\u2019t understand architecture being only landmark buildings or museums for famous architects. We believe that the city is the main protagonist of the architecture adventure,\u201d he says. \u201cIf in a city you have 50 per cent residential and out of that, there\u2019s 25 per cent affordable, then we talk about 50bn sq m of affordable housing that nobody has been really thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"The
The Muralla Roja housing complex<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In India, the experience of residents is often the starting point for the firm\u2019s projects, which have included slum rehabilitation in Mumbai. \u201cThat\u2019s even more complicated: you have to put the people living there in transit homes first \u2013 but also have to increase the density to pay for the development,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

RBTA avoids the concept of boxes in blocks (\u201cthey look like catacombs in cemeteries\u201d) and starts by considering ecology<\/a>, human scale and livability. \u201cThe homes are modular because you need some repetition. You have a one BHK [bedroom, hall, kitchen], two BHK, and then a three BHK, for example \u2013 it all starts with a design of the unit itself,\u201d Bofill says. \u201cWe try to avoid corridors because that\u2019s wasted space and you want it to feel more palatial. The same for the common areas of the building: the corridor should become more like streets in the air. Outside you need to work on the solids and the voids, on creating spaces. It has to go from the module to the building typology and then to the urban typology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bofill says there has been much government support for low-cost housing in Europe, not least as the parameters of who needs it extend to the middle class, which is mostly integrated into new-build developments. \u201cIt\u2019s not like a separate block, which is a shitty block, it\u2019s the same fa\u00e7ade, but it is subsidised by the government so that these people that are in an economically weaker position, can afford housing and live in an integrated way with society,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s the ideal. I myself live in a luxury neighbourhood with affordable housing. We are all aspiring together.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe can build on the Moon\u201d At BIG, Bjarke Ingels takes a luxury approach to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29348"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29348"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29368,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29348\/revisions\/29368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peymantaeidi.net\/stem-cell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}