What Are The Best Designs For Low-Cost Houses?

Black & White Twins By Casanova + Hernandez Architecten, Blaricum, Netherlands

The Black and White Twins are representative of a notable effort to combine modern aesthetics with cost-effective solutions. The exterior of the building is covered in a dark skin that is pierced with windows and other openings and that wraps around the interior of the building, while the open-air areas are painted white. The building can be conceptually divided into two parts. The innovative design created by Casanova + Hernandez architects features 29 low-cost apartments that are contained within a compact building that preserves the human scale characteristic of low-density projects.

Hannibal Road Gardens By Peter Barber Architects, Stepney, England

Instead, the wooden garden fences that already existed in the surrounding apartment buildings served as inspiration for the design of the shingle-covered Hannibal Road Gardens. This was in contrast to the generic housing that was found in the surrounding area. The housing strip is comprised of a series of stepped and notched garden terraces that face south-east and provides a total of eight completely affordable units, four of which are designated as socially rented.

The quality of life of the residents was taken into consideration when the units were designed. Each home features at least two sizable courtyards or roof terraces, and the layout's notched design creates a variety of amenity spaces as well as different perspectives.

Dattner Architects And Grimshaw, The Bronx, New York City

Grimshaw's stepped 222-unit affordable housing complex in the South Bronx achieves LEED Gold certification and exceeds the guidelines for environmental responsibility set forth by the NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program and Enterprise Green Communities. The complex was redeveloped on a brownfield site that had been reclaimed.

A display in the main lobby provides information on energy statistics, such as the outputs of the solar panels in real time, as part of an effort to promote sustainable and cost-effective living strategies. In the same time, a ground level courtyard that is 6,000 square feet and spirals upwards creates a promenade of social spaces. Additionally, there are 34,000 square feet of green roofs that offer active gardening, reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, and enhance the building's insulation.

Fougeron Architecture, San Francisco

Fougeron Architecture, which was tasked with designing Parkview Terrace, an affordable housing complex in a city with sky-high rents, eschewed archaic models that would have patronised the building's low-income, elderly residents with an image of warmth and cosiness that was insincere.

A community room, a health club, a beauty salon, a therapy centre, and a social services centre are some of the amenities that are included in the 101-unit concrete and glass building that aims to engage residents with the larger urban context. In addition, the horizontal windows have a slight undulation to them, which results in an increase in floor space at no additional cost.

Guerin Pedroza Architectes, Saints, France

The outmoded high-rise housing complex that was creating an isolating atmosphere in the neighbourhood was demolished and replaced by Bondy as part of the urban renewal plan for the Parisian suburb Saints. The design that was created by Guerin and Pedroza was a response to the imperative to both de-densify the region and reintegrate social housing into the urban fabric.

The structure, which is covered in timber and has a rustic appearance, was conceived of as a residence that would be subdivided into three forms in order to encourage interaction between residents and their immediate neighbours. Each apartment has its own private balcony, garden, or terrace, and the building itself incorporates sustainable design elements such as solar panels and rainwater collection systems to minimise operating expenses and maximise environmental impact.

Teeple Architects, Toronto

The 60 Richmond Street project aims to be a model for affordable housing that goes beyond simply providing residents with an inexpensive place to live. The project was designed for residents who were employed in the restaurant and hospitality industry in Toronto.

Not only does the urban infill project keep its low cost of maintenance by making use of reclaimed materials and energy-saving strategies, but it also includes a restaurant that is owned and operated by the residents of the building as well as a training kitchen on the ground floor.

Additionally, on the terrace located on the sixth floor, fruits, vegetables, and herbs are grown in order to both help residents improve their professional skills and provide food for the on-site restaurant. When compared to the conventionally boring aesthetic of condo buildings, the dynamic cut-in facade provides a welcome contrast.

Avenier Cornejo Architectes, Paris

The dark steel perforated facade designed by Avenir Cornejo Architectes sets 13 Rue Legendre apart from the surrounding masonry buildings. This was done after the city of Paris purchased the former location of a music and dance school in order to construct ten units of affordable housing. The metal panels function as full-height shutters, allowing for the flexible management of sun and light, which contributes to the reduction of thermal bridges and helps to maintain low-energy requirements.

Kanner Architects, Santa Monica, California

The 26th Street Affordable Housing building, designed by Kanner Architects, is horizontally oriented and features extensive use of glazing in homage to the well-known modernist architectural tradition of Southern California. The apartment building with 44 units has dual-glazed and laminated windows installed along both of the street-facing sides.

This helps to reduce noise from passing traffic. In addition, the living areas are laid out in a linear fashion in order to make cross-ventilation easier to achieve. Cross-ventilation is a form of passive natural cooling that does away with the requirement for energy-intensive rooftop air conditioning.

Casanova Hernandez Architects, Beekbergen, Netherlands

Through the use of a design that seeks to integrate the complex with a park that is located nearby, the Ginkgo project investigates the potential for providing reasonably priced housing to residents of a variety of income levels.

Gingko is an affordable housing solution that takes a design-oriented approach, and it was created for families with low incomes and people over the age of 65: Leaves from a Ginkgo Biloba tree were printed on the glass facade, and their response to the changing light of day and season results in strikingly different effects, shadows, reflections, and silhouettes. These effects are created by the interaction between the leaves and the light.

David Baker Architects, San Francisco

Residents of the 32 affordable units at Fillmore Park, who earn between 70 and 100 percent of the area's median income, congregate around an open central courtyard in an effort to foster a stronger sense of community. Fillmore Park was designed with this goal in mind.

As a result of the private terraces and extensive landscaping, the neighbourhood of Fillmore Park in San Francisco's Fillmore District feels more like a tranquil village than a housing complex. This neighbourhood is one of the most densely populated in the city.

Earth One Vaulted House — Cal-Earth

The Earth One Vaulted House is one of the most functional prototypes that follows the layout of typical housing units found in California. It was built on superadobe, a construction technique that was invented by architect and humanitarian Nader Khalili. This structure is resistant to earthquakes and other natural disasters despite having a wall thickness of only 15 centimetres, despite the fact that its construction involves packing earth into a tube-shaped cloth bag that is then reinforced using wire.

Within its 2300 square feet of space, the home features nine vaults, which can be broken down into three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two garages for cars. This structure is one of the most successful low-cost structures that has ever been built because it incorporates standard technology into a superadobe structure.

Aranya Housing Project — B V Doshi

These housing units in Indore were successful in developing a large community because they were built around a labyrinth of paved internal pathways and parks. As a result, they were able to accommodate approximately 60,000 people in 6500 dwellings within an area of 85 hectares. The land was originally a slum, but the architect B.V. Doshi subdivided it into six sectors, with the commercial district serving as the "central spine" that runs through the middle of the property.

Homes with the lowest incomes are located in the middle of each zone, while homes with higher incomes are located on the zone's perimeter. Each home features its own private courtyard in addition to rooms that range in price from moderate to low and are constructed out of locally sourced materials like bricks and stones.

Chenkal Choola Housing — Laurie Baker

Chenkalchoola Housing in Trivandrum gets its name from the red brick known as "Chenkal" that was formerly obtained from this location, which was formerly known as Thycaud Hill. This location is home to more than forty homes that were constructed according to Gandhian principles by architect Laurie Baker.

Baker was drawn to the natural colour and texture of the red bricks, so he refrained from plastering or painting them to preserve their aesthetic appeal. As a consequence of this, each house is distinguishable from the others, with the aspect that sets them apart being the bricked wall that surrounds them and the fact that they are grouped together around a common area that is adjacent to the main road.

In spite of being a well-designed colony with homes constructed in accordance with residents' means, the area became a hotspot for criminal activity when government officials failed to provide adequate oversight and upkeep. This resulted in non-permissive sheds being built along the roadside.

S-House — Vo Trong Nghia Architects

This house is an example of low-cost construction and can be found in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. It was built with a budget of 4,000 US dollars and on an area that was only 30 square metres in size. The people who lived in low-cost, makeshift housing in the area gave the construction of a structure that was both lightweight and permanent the utmost importance as the primary goal of the project.

As a result, the architect designed three different prototypes, of which the third one is currently being built. A steel-framed structure with nipa palm panels installed as walls makes up the first phase of the project. The second phase of the project involves do-it-yourself (DIY) and modular construction using a concrete framed structure with self-attachable panels to create a double wall that provides thermal comfort from the tropical climate.

Villa Verde — Alejandro Aravena

An interesting proposal for "half a good house" was made by the architect Alejandro Aravena. According to this idea, rather than constructing a small house from start to finish, it would be more cost effective to build a large house that was only partially finished. Based on the philosophy of the architect John F. C. Turner, who stated that squatting and huge housing deficits would result if housing were not an ongoing process.

After the devastating earthquake in Chile that destroyed more than eighty percent of the buildings in the city, the forestry company Arauco requested the assistance of the architect in order to produce a development plan for the purpose of housing their employees there. The houses, which all seemed to be the same, were arranged in such a way as to form a courtyard in the middle, which contributed to the development of a robust community.

Empower Shack — Urban-Think Tank

This housing system, which was designed during the time of post-apartheid South Africa for the people living in Cape Town, was able to help solve the housing crisis that was occuring as a result of the rising prices of property. The purpose of the project was to improve over 2700 unofficial settlements by distributing public land in an equitable manner, utilising cutting-edge methodologies, and providing standard conveniences.

As a result of the buildings' smaller footprint compared to that of a typical slum with dense housing, the land is utilised in a more effective manner, and residents of the community are given long-term stake in the development. Workshops on alternative forms of income, such as renewable energy and water management training, are also provided for the community as an additional benefit of the scheme.

Iha Residence — Vinu Daniel

This serene home in the bustling city of Trivandrum in Kerala is a paradox in that it portrays serenity on the outside while concealing an exciting interior. The helical facade, which resembles a large hammock and features seating areas for the residents, serves as a channel that directs rainwater away from the house, thereby shielding it from the effects of rain.

The water is directed towards the soil, where it is either harvested or recycled, using bamboo channels that are supported for stability by steel rods. Jali work not only saves money on the expensive process of installing windows but also adds visual appeal to the structure. In order to adhere to the principles of maintaining the natural colour and texture, as stated by Laurie Baker, the walls are constructed out of CSEB bricks, which stand for compressed stabilised earth blocks.

Post–Tsunami Housing — Shigeru Ban

For the Muslim fishing community in Tissamaharama in Sri Lanka, which had lost everything in the Tsunami that struck in 2004, the project proposed building 100 houses with a total floor space of 71 square metres. The tropical climate of Sri Lanka inspired Japanese architect Shigeru Ban to create a covered communal space in his building designs for the island nation.

Each model of the house has a hallway, two bedrooms, and a covered courtyard that serves as the living room and dining area. The rooms are separated by wooden screens to accommodate the communal nature of Muslim households. Panels made of local rubber tree wood instal themselves as walls and partitions, and compressed earth serves as building material for walls. Coconut wood and teak, both of which are readily available in the area, are used in the construction of the pitched roof.

Casa Convento — Enrique Mora Alvardo

This house, which can be found along the coast of Ecuador and is surrounded by a picturesque landscape created by large bamboo trees, rainforests, and a small creek flowing through the plot, was constructed out of bamboo because it is readily available in the area and because it was built within the constraints of a budget of $1500. This structure stands out from others due to the fact that members of the same family worked on it together while learning a variety of construction methods.

The structure includes a living room, three bedrooms, and a room for the service of the building. The service rooms feature a kitchen as well as bathrooms; these rooms are linked to the living area to create a communal space that opens up to the outside air and a hanging garden.

La Maison Au Bord De L’eau — Charlotte Perriand

Charlotte Perriand created the concept for the purpose of entering it in a competition; however, it was never actually built. It wasn't until 2014, when Julie de Libran, director of Louis Vuitton, constructed this in order to host a Design Miami exhibition, that it came to anyone's attention. Although the setting was Italy, the shipment that was sent to Miami was missing a significant number of the original's components.

Over the course of more than ten years spent as a member of Le Corbusier's research team, Perriand conducted experiments with various structural theories. She implemented "the Modulo" in the structure's scaling as well as the furniture, which consisted of chairs made from tree trunks that were cut down to a minimal height. The house has two wings that connect to a semi-closed corridor that has an entrance from the backyard. Sliding doors are used to separate the different areas of the house.

Conclusion

The Black and White Twins are illustrative of a noteworthy effort to combine the aesthetic sensibilities of modernity with practical approaches to problems. The innovative design that was developed by Casanova + Hernandez architects includes 29 apartments that are available for rent at affordable prices. These apartments are housed within a compact building that maintains the human scale that is typical of low-density projects. The housing strip provides a total of eight completely affordable units and is made up of a series of garden terraces that are stepped and notched. These terraces face south-east and are arranged in a zigzag pattern. The 222-unit affordable housing complex in the South Bronx that was designed by Dattner Architects and Grimshaw has been awarded the LEED Gold certification. Each house has at least two substantial courtyards or roof terraces, and the design of the floor plan's notches creates a variety of amenity spaces as well as different perspectives.

As part of an effort to promote sustainable living strategies, there is a display located in the main lobby that provides information on energy statistics. This display includes information on the outputs of the solar panels in real time. The Ginkgo project in the Netherlands is a solution for affordable housing that takes an approach focused on design. In homage to the well-known modernist architectural tradition of Southern California, the 26th Street Affordable Housing building, which was designed by Kanner Architects and constructed by Kanner Construction, features extensive use of glazing. The project at 60 Richmond Street aspires to be a model for affordable housing that goes beyond simply offering residents a cheap place to live. This goal is part of the project's larger vision. One of the most practical prototypes, the Earth One Vaulted House is designed in the same fashion as the majority of housing units that can be found in the state of California.

Within an area of 85 hectares, the Aranya Housing Project in Indore, India was able to provide homes for approximately 60,000 residents who were housed in 6500 individual structures. Despite having a wall thickness of only 15 centimetres, this building is resistant to earthquakes and other natural disasters. Its construction involves packing earth into a tube-shaped cloth bag, which is then reinforced using wire. The red brick that was formerly obtained from this location, which was formerly known as Thycaud Hill, is where the neighbourhood of Chenkal Choola Housing in Trivandrum gets its name from. In addition to having its own private courtyard, each home also features rooms that range in price from moderate to low and are built out of materials like bricks and stones that are sourced from the surrounding area. The Mekong Delta in Vietnam is home to this house, which serves as an illustration of low-cost construction and can be found there.

Following the devastating earthquake that occurred in Chile, the forestry company Arauco requested the services of an architect to create a development plan for the housing of their employees. People living in Cape Town were targeted during the time period following the end of apartheid in South Africa to receive this housing solution. The mission of the project was to revitalise over 2700 squatter communities by redistributing publicly owned land in a fair and equitable manner and making use of innovative research and development techniques. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban's building designs for the island nation of Sri Lanka included a covered communal space. This was because of the tropical climate of Sri Lanka, which inspired Ban. Every layout of the house consists of a corridor, two bedrooms, and a covered courtyard that doubles as both the living room and the dining area.

Walls and partitions are self-installing panels made of local rubber tree wood, and compressed earth is used as a building material for walls. The Charlotte Perriand house known as La Maison Au Bord De L'eau was never constructed in its entirety and was instead transported to Miami for the Design Miami exhibition. The project was carried out collaboratively by members of the same family, who did so while gaining experience in a variety of building techniques. The house has two wings that connect to a semi-closed corridor that has an entrance from the backyard. There is also an exit from the corridor into the backyard.

Content Summary

• Black & White Twins By Casanova + Hernandez Architecten, Blaricum, NetherlandsThe Black and White Twins are representative of a notable effort to combine modern aesthetics with cost-effective solutions.
• The innovative design created by Casanova + Hernandez architects features 29 low-cost apartments that are contained within a compact building that preserves the human scale characteristic of low-density projects.
• Hannibal Road Gardens By Peter Barber Architects, Stepney, EnglandInstead, the wooden garden fences that already existed in the surrounding apartment buildings served as inspiration for the design of the shingle-covered Hannibal Road Gardens.
• The housing strip is comprised of a series of stepped and notched garden terraces that face south-east and provides a total of eight completely affordable units, four of which are designated as socially rented.
• Dattner Architects And Grimshaw, The Bronx, New York CityGrimshaw's stepped 222-unit affordable housing complex in the South Bronx achieves LEED Gold certification and exceeds the guidelines for environmental responsibility set forth by the NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program and Enterprise Green Communities.
• A community room, a health club, a beauty salon, a therapy centre, and a social services centre are some of the amenities that are included in the 101-unit concrete and glass building that aims to engage residents with the larger urban context.
• In addition, the horizontal windows have a slight undulation to them, which results in an increase in floor space at no additional cost.
• Guerin Pedroza Architectes, Saints, FranceThe outmoded high-rise housing complex that was creating an isolating atmosphere in the neighbourhood was demolished and replaced by Bondy as part of the urban renewal plan for the Parisian suburb Saints.
• The design that was created by Guerin and Pedroza was a response to the imperative to both de-densify the region and reintegrate social housing into the urban fabric.
• Teeple Architects, TorontoThe 60 Richmond Street project aims to be a model for affordable housing that goes beyond simply providing residents with an inexpensive place to live.
• The project was designed for residents who were employed in the restaurant and hospitality industry in Toronto.
• Not only does the urban infill project keep its low cost of maintenance by making use of reclaimed materials and energy-saving strategies, but it also includes a restaurant that is owned and operated by the residents of the building as well as a training kitchen on the ground floor.
• This was done after the city of Paris purchased the former location of a music and dance school in order to construct ten units of affordable housing.
• Gingko is an affordable housing solution that takes a design-oriented approach, and it was created for families with low incomes and people over the age of 65: Leaves from a Ginkgo Biloba tree were printed on the glass facade, and their response to the changing light of day and season results in strikingly different effects, shadows, reflections, and silhouettes.
• Residents of the 32 affordable units at Fillmore Park, who earn between 70 and 100 percent of the area's median income, congregate around an open central courtyard in an effort to foster a stronger sense of community.
• Fillmore Park was designed with this goal in mind.
• As a result of the private terraces and extensive landscaping, the neighbourhood of Fillmore Park in San Francisco's Fillmore District feels more like a tranquil village than a housing complex.
• The Earth One Vaulted House is one of the most functional prototypes that follows the layout of typical housing units found in California.
• This location is home to more than forty homes that were constructed according to Gandhian principles by architect Laurie Baker.
• In spite of being a well-designed colony with homes constructed in accordance with residents' means, the area became a hotspot for criminal activity when government officials failed to provide adequate oversight and upkeep.
• This house is an example of low-cost construction and can be found in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
• It was built with a budget of 4,000 US dollars and on an area that was only 30 square metres in size.
• The people who lived in low-cost, makeshift housing in the area gave the construction of a structure that was both lightweight and permanent the utmost importance as the primary goal of the project.
• The second phase of the project involves do-it-yourself (DIY) and modular construction using a concrete framed structure with self-attachable panels to create a double wall that provides thermal comfort from the tropical climate.
• An interesting proposal for "half a good house" was made by the architect Alejandro Aravena.
• According to this idea, rather than constructing a small house from start to finish, it would be more cost effective to build a large house that was only partially finished.
• After the devastating earthquake in Chile that destroyed more than eighty percent of the buildings in the city, the forestry company Arauco requested the assistance of the architect in order to produce a development plan for the purpose of housing their employees there.
• This housing system, which was designed during the time of post-apartheid South Africa for the people living in Cape Town, was able to help solve the housing crisis that was occuring as a result of the rising prices of property.
• The purpose of the project was to improve over 2700 unofficial settlements by distributing public land in an equitable manner, utilising cutting-edge methodologies, and providing standard conveniences.
• As a result of the buildings' smaller footprint compared to that of a typical slum with dense housing, the land is utilised in a more effective manner, and residents of the community are given long-term stake in the development.
• Workshops on alternative forms of income, such as renewable energy and water management training, are also provided for the community as an additional benefit of the scheme.
• This serene home in the bustling city of Trivandrum in Kerala is a paradox in that it portrays serenity on the outside while concealing an exciting interior.
• For the Muslim fishing community in Tissamaharama in Sri Lanka, which had lost everything in the Tsunami that struck in 2004, the project proposed building 100 houses with a total floor space of 71 square metres.
• The tropical climate of Sri Lanka inspired Japanese architect Shigeru Ban to create a covered communal space in his building designs for the island nation.
• Each model of the house has a hallway, two bedrooms, and a covered courtyard that serves as the living room and dining area.
• This house, which can be found along the coast of Ecuador and is surrounded by a picturesque landscape created by large bamboo trees, rainforests, and a small creek flowing through the plot, was constructed out of bamboo because it is readily available in the area and because it was built within the constraints of a budget of $1500.
• This structure stands out from others due to the fact that members of the same family worked on it together while learning a variety of construction methods.
• The structure includes a living room, three bedrooms, and a room for the service of the building.
• Charlotte Perriand created the concept for the purpose of entering it in a competition; however, it was never actually built.
• It wasn't until 2014, when Julie de Libran, director of Louis Vuitton, constructed this in order to host a Design Miami exhibition, that it came to anyone's attention.
• Although the setting was Italy, the shipment that was sent to Miami was missing a significant number of the original's components.
• Sliding doors are used to separate the different areas of the house.