03#UNTAGGED. Generosity in architecture

GENEROSITY IN ARCHITECTURE

What makes space feel generous, and how architecture address this generosity in terms of atmosphere, metrics, and the implications of its scale? This edition of #Untagged explores these and other questions in its presentation of the 2024 edition of the Master in Collective Housing.

MCH DESIGN MAGAZINE NO. 03

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Tunisia | abbasianwware@gmail.com

GENEROSITY IN ARCHITECTURE

“We can consider that the most valuable architecture—one that embodies generosity—is not measured solely in square meters.

Rather, it is defined by the quality of spaces: their lighting, ventilation, views, and the experience they provide to users”

MCH DESIGN MAGAZINE NO. 03

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A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS | Milagros Ucha & Kailey Akins INTRODUCTION | José María De Lapuerta

Specialties S01 Climate, Metabolism & Architecture 01.

02.

MCH Directors José María de Lapuerta (UPM) Elli Mosayebi (ETH-Z) MCH Manager Camilo Meneses Edition and design Kailey Akins Milagros Ucha Humar ISBN 978-84-09-71737-8 Cover image by Kailey Akins, based on drawings by A. Abbassi, T. Christensen, E. Cruz, M. Gouda, E. Maldonado, S. Mandi, E. Nikolskaia, A. Voruz. © 2024 Master In Collective Housing. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. ETH Zurich.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the publisher.

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MEDITERRANEAN PULSE | Edgardo Cruz, José Eduardo Delgado, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ayush Patel, Milagros Ucha.

MOVING LAYERS | Anware Abbassi, Derrick Christensen, Julio Ferré, Viktoriia Denisova, Karla Madrigal, Sofia-Rafailia Mandi.

S02 Construction & Technology 03.

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FROM SWITZERLAND TO SINGAPORE | Thomas Christensen, Karla Madrigal, Eduardo Maldonado, Ayush Patel, Betul Sahin.

FROM SWITZERLAND TO FINLAND | Eduardo Delgado, Pedro Gaxiola, Viktoriia Denisova, Ximena Real.

S03 Leadership, Processes & Entrepreneurship 05.

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PALIMPSEST ARCHITECTURE | Thomas Christensen, Sofia Rafailia Mandi, Antoine Voruz, Milagros Ucha.

FDA DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION | Kailey Akins, José Eduardo Delgado, Julio Ferré.

S04 Sociology, Economy & Politics 07.

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SANCHINARRO | Kailey Akins, Edgardo Cruz, Viktoriia Denisova, Milagros Ucha.

SOCIAL IMPACTS OF HOUSING POLICY IN COLOMBIA | Diego Martínez.

S05 Low Resources & Emergency Housing 09.

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VENEZUELA MIGRATION CRISIS | Karla Madrigal, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser.

KUTUPALONG IN BANGLADESH | Thomas Christensen, Viktoriia Denisova, Eduardo Maldonado.

S06 Housing Practice 11.

INTERIOR TOPOGRAPHIES | Milagros Ucha

06 08 10 12 14 20

26 28 34

40 42 43

44 46 48

50 52 54

56 58

S07 Urban Design & City Science + Project Implementation 12.

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URBAN PATCHWORK | Julio Ferré, Sofía De Luca, Eduardo Maldonado, Sofia Rafailia Mandi, Milagros Ucha.

BACK TO THE FUTURE | Anware Abbassi, Ayush Patel, Ximena Real, Antoine Voruz.

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QUALITIES OF INHABITING | A special class by Anne Lacaton HOUSING GENEROSIT Y | An interview with Alison Brooks HY TAC & NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ZURICH & BASEL

78 80 84 86

Workshops

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W01 Afro-Futures | Hrvoje Njiric 14.

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THE STRIP | Derrick Christensen, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Betül Şahin.

A MAT OF CASTLES, COURT YARDS AND TOWERS IN ROSALEDA | Viktoriia Denisova, Diego Martínez, Antoine Voruz.

W02 Biodiverse City | Juan Herreros 16.

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PARASITE | Kailey Akins, Diego Martínez, Betül Şahin, Milagros Ucha.

COLONY | Anware Abbassi, Edgardo Cruz, Eduardo Maldonado, Elizaveta Nikolskaia.

W03 In Praise of Shadows | Alison Brooks 18.

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HACIENDA | Kailey Akins, Thomas Christensen, Eduardo Maldonado.

A THRESHOLD AND A TOWER | Diego Martinez, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ximena Real.

W04 Domestic Fragments | Elli Mosayebi 20.

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THE WINDOW + LAREIRA | Kailey Akins, Derrick Christensen, Karla Madrigal, Ximena Real.

INHABITING THE WALL /|Pedro Gaxiola, Eliza Nikolskaia, Milagros Ucha.

W05 Learning From Tokyo | Momoyo Kaijima

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90 92 96

100 102 106 110 112 116 120 122 126 130

ULISES 95 LEVEL 5 | Derrick Christensen, Pedro Gaxiola, Eduardo Maldonado.

ULISES 95 LEVEL 2 | Eizaveta Nikolskaia, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser.

132 136

W06 Sky Colonies | Jacob Van Rijs + Ignacio Borrego

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RAINBOW STREET | Thomas Christensen, Sofia-Rafailia Mandi, Antoine Voruz.

FROM STREET TO SKY | Kailey Akins, Viktoriia Denisova, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Kunal Sonawane.

W07 Urban Fabric of Madrid | Dietmar Eberle 26.

27.

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SITE A - ADAPTATION 1 | Eliza Nikolskaia SITE A – ADAPTATION 2 | Ayush Patel SITE B - ADAPTATION 1 | Eduardo Maldonado SITE B - ADAPTATION 2 | Ximena Real

152 154 156 158

ALUMNI FEATURE PROJECT | Carolina Rodas MCH 2024 EDITION | Participants

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MCH 2024 Calendar 4

Calendar

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Generosity & housing A note from the editors

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Editor’s Notes

By Kailey Akins & Milagros Ucha

As of recent estimates, 56% of the global population now lives in urban areas, and that number is only expected to rise, reaching 68% by 2050, according to projections by the United Nations. In light of this accelerating urbanization trend housing will become crucial in designing the future of our cities.

If we aim to achieve urban quality, housing can no longer be a product of mere speculation and optimization.

Generous architecture goes beyond pure functionality. It is about offering something extra—creating spaces that don’t merely meet the minimum needs but instead enrich lives through the unexpected.

It is about surpassing the modern Existenzminimum and redifining housing as a key component of the architectural discipline, beyond a mere equation of speculation and optimization.

Generosity means providing room for comfort, appropriation, self-expression and community. It is about thinking buildings not as isolated objects, but as active members of a complex and dynamic material and cultural network, where they must interact and provide resilience, but not resistance.

In this third issue of the #Untagged magazine spotlight 29 outstanding projects, exploring how can architecture do the most, in a variety of contexts and scales. From housing for the elderly based in local construction methods and communes providing passive climatic responses, to accessible, sustainable cities of the future, these projects challenge our perceptions on what housing can achieve.

They ask how we can go beyond the expected, producing that “extra” quality—spacial, climatic, programmatic, material—that transforms spaces from mere shelters into true homes.

Our aim is not to present a detailed analysis of each project but rather to reflect the broader mission of the MCH program. By showcasing a diverse array of methods and visions, we invite readers to expand their perspectives in a fast-paced yet deeply inspiring way.

Addressing multiple scales, projects represent a variety of approaches that combine experimentation with contextual understanding. They not only weigh solutions, but also present new questions that reflect the dynamic nature of generous space. Understood both individually and as a collective, each course balances a distinct approach with the potential for common ground. Housing becomes a platform from which to make these comparisons, and it allows projects to explore where design can be both universal and hyperlocal.

generosity (noun) a willingness to give help or support, esp. more than is usual or expected

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Introduction

MCH 2024

A letter from the MCH director

By José María de Lapuerta

Generosity is defined as the virtue of giving without expecting anything in return, reflected in selfless actions for the common good. In our discipline, architecture, it means contributing through conscious and collaborative design, which, in its highest expression, becomes a built reality that generates a positive impact on society.

We can consider that the most valuable architecture—one that embodies generosity—is not measured solely in square meters. Rather, it is defined by the quality of spaces: their lighting, ventilation, views, and the experience they provide to users, among other factors. Always designed with the people who will inhabit them in mind, such architecture engages in dialogue with its context and community, enriching it and becoming a part of it.

Teaching architecture from this perspective is essential for MCH, fostering professionals who see their work as a service to society. This means setting aside ego in an act of dedication that prioritizes users’ needs, creating accessible, livable, and sustainable spaces that truly respond to the real needs of those who inhabit them.

In education, this approach must instill values such as collaboration, empathy, and social awareness. Future architects must understand that their work has a direct impact on people’s lives. By learning to work as a team and to understand others’ needs, they will be better prepared to design generous and functional spaces.

May this new edition of #Untagged be a testament to this way of thinking, a driving force for change, and another step toward collectively shaping a better way of living through our discipline.

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01 Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

02 Construction & Technology

03 Leadership, Processes & Entrepreneurship

Javier García Germán

Ignacio Fernández Solla

Sacha Menz

Specialties 10

04 Sociology, Economy & Politics

05 Low Resouces & Emergency Housing

06 Housing Practice

07 Urban Design & City Science José María Ezquiaga

Daniel Sorando

Elena Giral

Fernando Altozano

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Towards PostSustainability.

The module explores the design opportunities which the field of climate and ecology are opening to architecture, and specifically to the field of collective housing. It focuses on climatic questions and on the metabolic dimension of architecture, with the objective of finding design strategies which bridge the void between quantitative and qualitative approaches.

The course immerses in the quotidian implications of sustainability, which introduces to the specialty the ethnological dimension of architecture. This question opens the experiential realm, introducing the human body in its physiological and psychological dimensions to architecture.

The objective is to design a building starting from the particular atmospheres demanded by its users. Departing from the specific ambient conditions needed by users, students will define the set of sources and sinks required to induce specific atmospheric situations. Starting from quotidian situations the studio will proceed defining interior space, and later a collective housing program.

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

Specialty leader

Javier García Germán TAKK Arquitectos

Meta Arc 03

Guest lecturers

Silvia Beneditto OFICINAA

Rafael Beneytez z4z4

Begoña De Abajo & Carlos García DeAbajoGarcía Jury

Ramón Bosch Bosch Capdeferro

Grace La

La Dallman / Director Harvard GSD

Nieves Mestre

Combolab Architecture & Climate

Daniel Ibáñez

Margen-Lab / Director IAAC

01, 08, 09, 10: T. Christensen, S. De Luca, P. Gaxiola, D. Martínez. 03: J. Delgado, P. Gaxiola, V. Denisova, X. Real. 02, 05, 12: E. Cruz, E. Delgado, E. Nikolskaia, A. Patel, M. Ucha. 03, 06, 07: A. Abbassi, D. Christensen, V. Denisova, J. Ferré, M. Gouda, K. Madrigal, S. Mandi. 04, 11: K. Akins, E. Maldonado, X. Real, B. Sahin, A. Voruz.

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abolism & chitecture 04

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“Cultures are rooted in the passive properties of architecture.”

Top left: thermodynamic analysis of the prototype in summer (top) and winter (bottom). Right: commune ground floor plan.

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Mediterranean Pulse Edgardo Cruz, José Eduardo Delgado, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ayush Patel, Milagros Ucha.

The future of collective housing in Mediterranean climates hinges on harmonizing ecological innovation with cultural continuity. Advances in thermodynamics and ecological design offer unprecedented opportunities to create adaptive, energy-efficient spaces, although these should not come at the expense of the cultural and social practices that define Mediterranean life. By embedding housing designs with elements like courtyards, terraces and shaded outdoor spaces, we can ensure that new developments respect and evolve traditional communal lifestyles.

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

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01. Vilella Blocks. Recycled concrete blocks, 60x120 and 60x60 cm. 02. Concrete slab. 03. Pine structure with shedding ivy. 04.

Wooden lattice frame. 05. Wooden interior finish. 06. Window with wooden frame. 07. Interior wooden panels with sliding doors.

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

Top left: Summer scenario thermodynamic diagram and prototype material axonometric.

Top right: plans and sections of the prototype with wind overlay. Bottom left: prototype render, winter scenario.

Bottom right: prototype render, summer scenario.

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

Top left: material metabolism diagram. Bottom left: perspective section of the commune. Right: commune axonometric. #Untagged

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Top left: thermodynamic analysis of the prototype in winter (top) and summer (bottom). Right: commune ground floor plan.

02. Moving Layers Anware Abbassi, Derrick Christensen, Julio Ferré, Viktoriia Denisova, Karla Madrigal, SofiaRafailia Mandi The complex consists of two independent wooden buildings that offer temporary accommodation and training for young adults with disabilities.

The aim of the project is to optimize the climatic performance of the building by meeting Scandinavian regulations and exploring local construction techniques. Moreover, it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint through industrialized construction techniques and low carbon materials and infrastructural systems.

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

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“We study magical moments so we can learn to design with them in mind.”

Bottom left: prototype sections with thermodynamic analysis overlay.

Right: commune render, developed by Viktoriia Denisova.

27°C hot air rises

human body 37°C

24°C

11°C

5°C

cold north winds

20°C

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

17°C

high thermal inertia 24°C

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1. shutter detail - dry assembly 2. rammed earth wall with wooden 3. patio’s sliding cover detail - open 4. assemblage of terrazzo floor 5. patio’s sliding cover detail - closed 6. sliding panel assembly 7. japanese wooden connections 8. wooden pergola detail

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Climate, Metabolism & Architecture

Left: material axonometric of the prototype. Right: rendered axonometric of the commune, developed by Viktoriia Denisova. #Untagged

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Redesign according to location.

Ove Arup used the concept of total architecture or total design as one of the guiding principles of his approach to work. It sets out that all relevant design decisions have been considered together and have been integrated into a whole by a well-organized team, empowered to fix priorities.

The module presents design and construction as one continuous process.

It addresses the challenge of Total Design by understanding buildings as entities based on the interplay of three physical realms —structure, envelope and services— connected by the process of industrialization.

To achieve this, students are challenged to transfer a building from their current to a new location, understanding the ways in which the change in site, climate, culture and construction practices affect architecture. Each project is tackled in a holistic way, recontextualizing the building strategies. Moreover, projects are asked to reconsider the construction systems and materials and to reindustrialize the adopted building process.

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Construction & Technology

Specialty leader

Ignacio Fernández Solla

Arup (Director, Planning & Advisory) Professors

Archie Campbell

Arup (Science, Industry & Technology Leader for Spain)

David Castro

Arup (Associate Director, Structural Engineer; Commercial Leader for Spain)

Diego García Setién

Education Coordinator MiPPA ETSAM / GaSSz Arquitectos Asociados

01, 02, 06: M. Gouda, S. Mandi, D. Martínez, K. Sonawane, M. Ucha. 03: J. Delgado, P. Gaxiola, V. Denisova, X. Real. 04, 12, 08: T. Christensen, K. Madrigal, E. Maldonado, A. Patel, B. Sahin. 07, 11: A. Abbassi, K. Akins, E. Nikolskaia, J. Ferré. 09, 10: D. Christensen, E. Cruz, S. De Luca, A. Voruz.

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Primary image: project industrialization strategies shown through the construction process of the building.

03. From Switzerland to Singapore Thomas Christensen, Karla Madrigal, Eduardo Maldonado, Ayush Patel, Betul Sahin.

The project places the needs of Singapore’s multicultural workforce at its heart, focusing on the housing challenges of migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia, aiming to create housing that offers comfort, dignity , and cultural relevance. By organising the project around structural rings with a central core and tension cables, it is possible to open up terraces near the facade and communal spaces for shared activities. A modular system allows for efficient construction and controlled carbon emissions, as well as future adaptability to cultural and environmental changes.

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Construction & Technology

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1. Sliding track 160mm 2. CLB panel 1800x400mm 3. Aluminium horizontal support 4. Double glaze door 5. Steel balustrade 6. Aluminium frame 7. 80mm tensile cable 8. 45x45mm wood joints 9. Nubbed steel sheet florr, galvanised on 50mm steel T-sections 10. 180mm mineral wool thermal insulation 11. Floor construction, 5mm CLB flooring

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Construction & Technology

“Creating architecture is making choices.”

Top left: facade detail. Bottom left: project sections.

Top right: communal floor plan. Bottom right: typical floor plan.

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Left: services axonometric diagrams and plans (air cooling system, recycled water, hot water). Right: axonometric render, developed

by Eduardo Maldonado.

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Construction & Technology

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Primary image: project industrialization strategies shown through the construction process of the building.

04. From Switzerland to Finland

Eduardo Delgado, Pedro Gaxiola, Viktoriia Denisova, Ximena Real.

The complex consists of two independent wooden buildings that offer temporary accommodation and training for young adults with disabilities.

The aim of the project is to optimize the climatic performance of the building by meeting Scandinavian regulations and exploring local construction techniques. Moreover, it seeks to reduce its carbon footprint through industrialized construction techniques and low carbon materials and infrastructural systems.

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Construction & Technology

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Construction & Technology

“Architecture cannot rely on codes, we must use our knowledge to make decisions.”

Top left: project plan. Bottom left: ground floor and typical floor plan. Right: project section and window section detail.

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Left: envelope construction details. Right: render developed by Viktoriia Denisova.

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Construction & Technology

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How To Run An Architectural Office.

Our course is a guided journey through the design and building process, focusing on the competencies of consultants and the responsibilities of all involved parties.

Three compact chapters on building culture are becoming increasingly important in today’s specialised, complex, and international environment.

Specialty leader

Sacha Menz SAM Architekten Professor

Axel Paulus ETH Zurich

The course is structured around three key areas: Profession, which focuses on competence and collaboration; Methodology, which examines frameworks and monitoring; and Environment, which explores necessity and balance. We address these topics by discussing the basic principles, terminologies, and tendencies.

Finally, the module “Leadership, Process, and Entrepreneurship” aims to integrate the acquired knowledge into a business model for an architecture office, considering that unique projects are a powerful symbiosis with corporate governance.

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Leadership, Processes & Entrepreneurship

01, 05: Lecture by Axel Paulus. 02, 03, 07: Final reviews. 04, 10, 12: Visit to SAM Architekten. 06: Lecture by Sacha Menz. 08, 11: Leadership and teamwork excercise. 09: Lecture by Axel Paulus in ETH Zurich.

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05.

Palimpsest Architecture Thomas Christensen, Sofia Rafailia Mandi, Antoine Voruz, Milagros Ucha.

Our mission is to re-purpose existing buildings through adaptive reuse strategies, in order to preserve the architectural heritage of local communities, as well as reduce environmental impact by making efficient use of existing resources.

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Leadership, Processes & Entrepreneurship

06.

FDA Design & Construction Kailey Akins, José Eduardo Delgado, Julio Ferré.

The project fulfilled two dimensions of sustainable intervention: 1. Building sustainability and longevity in its context and 2. Climatic sustainability for physical longevity over time. With a model that values the local identity of a site, the proposal aims to develop projects that respond to the community without imposing buildings on a neighbourhood that ultimately fail. #Untagged

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Current Housing Dynamics.

The specialty aims to provide students with a comprehensive perspective on the issue of collective housing from an interdisciplinary training.

Specialty leader

From a sociological perspective, the course covers the study of demographic variables, migration patterns, and urban growth projections, using tools such as geographic information systems (GIS).

In the economic sphere, the course explores the particularities of housing as both a consumer good and a basic necessity, analysing the consequences of price increases and speculation on housing accessibility. The focus on public policies examines the evolution of urban regulations and standards that have shaped the city.

Guest lecturers

Students will conduct group research in various neighbourhoods within Madrid, collecting and analysing census data, conducting resident interviews, and making field visits, and propose possible architectural and urban interventions.

Researcher (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia)

Each student will also write an individual essay on a case study, either local or international, related to the topics covered in the course.

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Sociology, Economy & Politics

Daniel Sorando

Prof. Universidad de Zaragoza

Gaia Redaelli

PAX Patios de la Axerquía

Irene Lebrusan

Researcher (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

Almudena Martínez del Olmo Researcher (Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Maite Arrondo

European Association for Local Democracies

Elisa Pozo Menéndez Mita Atelier Sllp

Irene Sabaté

Researcher (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona)

Javier Gil

Carlos Delclós

Writer and researcher (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona)

01, 10: P. Gaxiola, D. Martínez, A. Patel, B. Sahin. 02, 05, 12: T. Christensen, J. Ferré, S. De Luca, Elizaveta Nikolskaia. 03, 04, 06: K. Akins, E. Cruz, V. Denisova, M. Ucha. 07, 08, 09: D. Christensen, E. Maldonado, K. Sonawane. 11: S. Mandi, M. Gouda, X. Real.

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“understand urban dynamics, current city challenges, and potential growth” Top left: public space proposal sketch. Bottom left: public space reactivation strategies. Right: New proposal for Sanchinarro masterplan.

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Sanchinarro Kailey Akins, Edgardo Cruz, Viktoriia Denisova, Milagros Ucha.

Located in the north of Madrid, Sanchinarro is a neighbourhood developed as part of Madrid’s urban expansion initiatives between the mid-1980s and the late 1990s. The neighbourhood currently faces lack of heterogeneity, both of spaces and activities and of social composition. The former is translated in urban operations that can attend to the needs of relegated groups, such as teenagers, young professionals, and the elderly; while the latter will be addressed through housing policies as an opportunity to tackle part of the housing deficit of the city while benefiting the community as a whole.

The proposal then consists of introducing new mixed-use housing typologies in unoccupied land and some of the green public space, where mixing through affordable social rent should be introduced. Leisure pavilions and sports centres should interrupt the green spaces, serving as attractor points and as areas for younger groups to gather.

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Sociology, Economy & Politics

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09.

Social impacts of housing policy in Colombia. The Case of Ciudad verde in Soacha.

By Diego Martínez (Abbridged version) Colombia’s social housing policy shifted from a public model to a market-driven one. The Macro-projects of National Social Interest (MISN), “new citadels” on city outskirts, feature affordable housing in closed complexes with large infrastructures. The largest and oldest MISN, Ciudad Verde, serves as a case study for assessing the social impacts of current housing policy and drawing conclusions for future citadels in Colombia.

Social housing during the 20th century in Colombia Social housing policy in Colombia began less than a century ago, [evolving from a state-driven model to a fully privatized one]. From 1939 to 1991, the Instituto de Crédito Territorial (ITC) was responsible for loans, subsidies, and affordable housing construction. (...)

However, [rapid population growth and budgetary limitations resulted in a growing housing deficit, leading to the ITC’s closure in 1991 and a policy shift] (Chiappe de Villa, 1999). (...) Law 3 of 1991 changed the model to a demand subsidy scheme where the pillars of access to housing were savings, subsidy, and credit. (...) This model has presented limitations inherent to housing financialisation models from the beginning, such as speculation in land value and difficulty for the most vulnerable populations in accessing financial products due to limitations in savings capacity, payment, and formal employment limitations. (...) The reduction of affordable housing from a right to an asset was established in two events that still govern the housing panorama in Colombia. On the one hand, in 2010, as an economic policy, it was established that the housing market would be one of the “five locomotives of the economy,” determining the country’s productive goals in a specific number of new affordable homes. (...) On the other hand, since the 2000s, the National Government has promoted “Macro-projects of National Social Interest” (MISN), special instruments for planning, financing, and 48

Sociology, Economy & Politics

executing massive affordable housing urbanizations under the same financing model implemented since 1991. (...)

These macro-projects are characterized by being located on the outskirts of cities (often on rural land), (...) due to the size of the projects (...) and the significantly lower land prices. (...) [MISN are often] composed of isolated residential complexes surrounded by fences, integrated by transport infrastructures and green areas, with concentrations of services and commerce in specific areas, [targeting] populations transitioning out of poverty, with the promise of achieving the dream of homeownership (...) (Hurtado-Tarazona, 2019).

The most emblematic and oldest MISN is Ciudad Verde, whose construction began in 2010. It is a citadel of 49,500 new homes located in Soacha, a municipality that grew alongside the southern edge of Bogotá. It was projected to house 171,500 inhabitants in an area of 3.2 km² (De La Carera, 2018), contrasting with the 424,252 inhabitants living in Soacha that year (DANE, 2019). The relevance and age of this macro-project allow for the analysis of specific results and sociological effects stemming from the implementation of the current affordable housing policy.

Ciudad Verde The project was presented as a promise of an alternative to the informal, disorganized, and riskexposed housing growth found in municipalities like Soacha and, more generally, in marginalized areas of Colombian cities. It is planned as a “new city” that overcomes several apparent design and infrastructure limitations of traditional informal neighbourhoods, offering an appearance of order and cleanliness (Hurtado-Tarazona, 2019). However, the project’s location in relation to the city, urban design, and the elementary unit of the residential complex (...) have created new problems.

1. SEGREGATION FROM THE CITY The first evidence of segregation between Ciudad Verde and the city is the daily commutes of its inhabitants.

Being located on the periphery, the citadel does not have a sufficient supply of employment, education, and services. For this reason, most inhabitants must travel daily to different areas of Bogotá. Additionally, since it is located on rural land, there was initially no infrastructure or public transport services. The consequent segregation is reflected in the average daily travel time of Ciudad Verde residents, which is 180 minutes—double the 97-minute average for Bogotá residents.

On the other hand, being projects completely destined for low-income housing, the result is the concentration of people in similar conditions within an isolated physical context. For these inhabitants, it becomes increasingly difficult to relate to Bogotá, despite maintaining an inevitable dependence.

2. SEGREGATION AND THE CITY OF FENCES WITHIN CIUDAD VERDE Another facet of segregation is the one resulting within the project itself. In the words of researcher Adriana Hurtado-Tarazona: “The mega-project is not a large, gated community but rather an urbanization that is composed of a series of small, gated condominiums” (Hurtado-Tarazona, 2019).

[This occurs due to] the division into project stages and the specific populations targeted in each. In a single stage of the project, people displaced from other high-risk areas of Soacha, who accessed housing through a 100% state subsidy, were resettled (Stage 3). [Some stages were allocated to displaced people with 100% state subsidies, while others were assigned to higher-income investors, resulting in

“The creation of these extensive gated communities does not allow for integration with nearby urban fabrics, nullifies neighborhood interaction, alienates street life, and radically zones activities, making it difficult to create close community ties.” a concentration of higher incomes in some stages and lower incomes in others.] (...) This has resulted in coexistence problems and manifestations of exclusion and violence between populations of different stages.

[Additionally, the “closed residential complex” model, a response to insecurity, has expanded massively in recent decades, disrupting urban fabric and fostering segregation both within the citadel and from the city.] (...)

3. PRIVATIZATION OF GOVERNANCE AND POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE SEGREGATION Perhaps the most particular phenomenon resulting from the socio-spatial segregation of the city and within the citadel is the privatization of governance, which can be explained on two scales. (...) The model of gated communities implies living under the regime of horizontal property (...). At the time of its operation, the municipality of Soacha did not have the administrative capacity to receive a population of more than 171,000 inhabitants, being unable to provide social services, security, and infrastructure. (...) In the face of the lack of governance by the state, the Ciudad Verde Association was created—an organization composed of representatives from each residential community and managed by representatives of real estate developers, where resources and actions for the maintenance of public spaces and security are managed privately. A similar situation occurs with informal public transport solutions that meet the demand for daily trips to connection points with the city’s mass transit system (Hurtado-Tarazona, 2019).

This phenomenon of privatization of governance on both scales ultimately leads to the political and administrative separation of these citadels from the legal and legitimate contexts to which they belong.

Conclusions The social housing policy governed by market logic, which came into force in 1991, has managed to contain and improve the quantitative housing deficit in the country. However, the model fails to guarantee access to housing for the neediest sectors of the population, implies the peripheral location of affordable housing, and promotes the massification of the gated community model and zoned urbanism, as demonstrated by the creation of MISN. The location of these isolated citadels on the periphery of the main municipalities replicates and exacerbates the conditions of segregation (...) [Additionally] the creation of these extensive gated communities does not allow for integration with nearby urban fabrics, nullifies neighbourhood interaction, alienates street life, and radically zones activities, making it difficult to create close community ties. This, (...) socially and spatially segregates the communities within the citadels.

These socio-spatial conditions of the MISN lead to phenomena such as the state legitimacy crisis and privatization of governance, further separating these communities from the political and administrative functioning of the cities to which they truly belong.

In this sense, the fundamental factors for the perpetuation of social segregation in cities in Colombia are closely related to the process of financialisation of housing. Possible solutions to these issues first involve restructuring the system, so the state can have greater influence in controlling land prices and rents and where incentives are not necessarily focused on generating new homeowners.

Arbaci, S. (2007). “Ethnic Segregation, Housing Systems and Welfare Regimes in Europe”, European Journal of Housing Policy , 7:4, 401-433.

Chiappe de Villa, M. L. (1999). La política de vivienda de interés social en Colombia en los noventa. Cepal.org. de La Carrera, F. (2018). Rejalópolis: Ciudad de Fronteras. Revista Escala 232. Vivienda Colectiva.

DANE (2019). Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda - CNPV 2018, proyección a 2022.

Archivado desde el original el 20 de julio de 2022. Consultado el 8 de octubre de 2020.

Fernández, R. & Aalbers, M. (2016). “Financialization of housing: between globalization and varieties of capitalism”. Competition andChange , 20:2, 71-88.

Hurtado-Tarazona, A. (2019). Privatization of urban governance and legitimacy disputes in a social housing megaproject in soacha, Colombia. En Legitimacy (pp. 145–167). Springer International Publishing.

Hurtado-Tarazona, A., Álvarez Rivadulla, M. J., & Fleischer, F. (2020). The normalization of Bogota social housing residents: Class tensions in third world urban peripheries. City & Society (Washington, D.C.), 32(3), 624–648. https://doi.org/10.1111/ciso.12338 Kadi, J. & Ronald, R. (2014). Market-based housing reforms and the ‘right to the city’: the variegated experiences of New York, Amsterdam and Tokyo, International Journal of Housing Policy, 14 (3), 268-292.

Luz Amparo Méndez Miguel A. Hincapié T Carlos Fernando Agudelo R. (s/f). LOS MACROPROYECTOS DE INTERÉS SOCIAL NACIONAL Y SU IMPACTO FRENTE AL ORDENAMIENTO TERRITORIAL El caso de Ciudad Verde. Upc.edu. Recuperado el 30 de julio de 2024, de: https://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/handle/2099/15975/060_BGT_ Agudelo_Carlos.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Moreno-Luna, C. A. (2016). Segre-gación en el espacio urbano de Soacha. ¿Transmilenio como herramienta integra-dora? Revista de Arquitec-tura, 18(1), 48-55. doi: 10.14718/ RevArq.2016.18.1.5 Sorando, D., & Leal, J. (2019). Distant and unequal: The decline of social mixing in Barcelona and Madrid. REIS, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 167 , 125–148

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Emergency Scenarios.

World’s population has reached 8 billion people. Yet not everybody has access to a dignified, safe place to call home. Rapid urbanisation, economic crises, social inequalities, conflict, disasters and climate change are at the root cause for millions of people’s inadequate living conditions.

Specialty leader

This module speciality tries to provide students with a broader look at the world, paying special attention to those who are usually forgotten, falling between the cracks of mainstream architecture, urban policy, commercial interest and political will. It attempts to provide a standardised solution or design but also to broaden the spectrum in which an architect is usually expected to operate and to provide the students with a range of tools to do so.

Guest lecturers

The seminar covers a broad range of topics which look at housing and crises from different perspectives introducing the issues around informal settlements, displacement and emergencies, humanitarian contexts as well as illegal occupation and homelessness.

OSA Research Group (KU Leuven)

Elena Giral

Programme Manager rescEU emergency shelter / Directorate General ECHO (European Commission)

Giulia Celentano

Chair of Sustainable Construction (ETH Zurich)

Jeroen Stevens

OSA Research Group (KU Leuven)

Khalda El Jack

Verónica Sánchez N’undo

Miguel Acebrón García de Eulate Better Shelter

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09. Venezuela Migration Crisis Karla Madrigal, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser.

Venezuela’s economic collapse, which began around 2014, has resulted in one of the most severe crises in recent history, with extensive repercussions for South America. The country’s economy, reliant on oil exports, has suffered from plummeting oil prices and production declines, leading to hyperinflation and a nearly worthless Bolivar. This has made basic goods and services unaffordable, causing widespread shortages.

The crisis has triggered a massive exodus of Venezuelans to neighbouring countries like Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. This influx has put considerable pressure on these nations’ social services and economies.

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10. Kutupalong in Bangladesh Thomas Christensen, Viktoriia Denisova, Eduardo Maldonado Racial and religious discrimination of the Rohingya by the Myanmar government has triggered waves of violence and forced migrations to neighbouring countries. On August 25, 2017, after and attack by an armed paramilitary group of Rohingya on Burmese military checkpoints, more than 700,000 Rohingya were driven out of Myanmar within weeks, forced to flee towards the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazaar (Bangladesh).

Bangladesh does not offer the Rohingya a path to citizenship and, without legal recognition, they are unable to access fundamental rights, such as legal protection and access to justice, employment or land ownership.

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Form And Shape In Urban Housing.

Morphometrics is the word that frames this specialty. The challenge proposed is aiming to decipher somehow the strong relation between shape, form and metrics in urban housing design.

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From the simplest comparative analysis, this specialty aims to develop specific and complex research opportunities.

The background thematic is the comprehension of collective housing and high-density cities as a specific morphometrical atmosphere in which interior and exterior factors determine shape and form in a co-dependent mechanism.

José María Lapuerta

The first part of the course shows the dimension of the interconnected nature of collective housing by creating a database of cases from which to develop specific housing research topics individually and cross-checked with the group and the class. In this way, repeated or compatible topics will be unified, and the common work can be increased with new topics.

The second part of the work is the individual development of the 21 determined topics in a chapter of the common book.

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Fernando Altozano Dos Quijotes

Guest lecturers DeLapuerta + Campo

Rafael Hernando ETSAM UPM

Gabriel Wajnerman

Gabriel Wajnerman Arquitecto

01: T. Christensen, E. Cruz. 02, 10: S. De Luca, M. Ucha. 03, 05: D. Martínez, A. Voruz.

04: J. Ferré, B. Sahin. 06, 09: V. Denisova, K. Sonawane. 07, 12: K. Akins, K. Madrigal. 08: P. Gaxiola, E. Nikolskaia. 11: E. Maldonado, M. Yasser.

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Interior Topographies.

A parametric approach to splitlevel apartments in collective housing.

By Milagros Ucha (Abridged version) In the evolution of architectural design, the splitlevel stands out as a dynamic response to spatial and environmental challenges. Defined by the act of staggering levels at varying heights, it creates a unique spatial continuity in both horizontal and vertical directions. By splitting the slab independently of terrain, architects can generate artificial interior topographies that subtly delineate spaces without traditional vertical boundaries. This approach enhances openness and fosters sensorial connections through shared access to light, air, and views, and the traditional functional delimitations become implied, rather than imposed or clearly defined.

In collective housing, where optimization through repetition is the fundamental rule and driving force of the project, the use of the intricate section presents multiple challenges. The stacking of units demands precise interlocking to maximize living space while minimizing circulation and common areas. Yet, despite these complexities, the split-level layout has been embraced by some of the most paradigmatic collective housing projects, including Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation in Marseille and Kazuyo Sejima’s Gifu Kitagata Apartment Building. The appeal of these designs lies in their ability to redefine spatial relationships through sections rather than plans, emphasizing the connection between levels and creating a layered experience that enriches collective living.

The following article explores the use of split-level through a typological perspective in six collective housing case studies: Narkomfin Building (Moisei Ginzburg, 1928-1932), Zomerdijkstraat (Zanstra – Giesen – Sijmons, 1933), Unité d’Habitation de Marseille (Le Corbusier, 1952), Bartningallee 7 (Van den Broek & Bakema, 1959), El Taray Building (Aracil – Miquel – Viloria, 1963) and Kanchanjunga Apartments (Charles Correa, 1974).

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The analysis is divided into three sections: firstly, a description of the split-level apartment as a generic typology through five generic parameters and the effects produced by each of them separately; secondly, a thorough description of each case study as a generic type, resulting from the combination of these parameters; thirdly, an analysis of the opportunities and challenges the split level typology can provide in contemporary architectural design. Understanding the ways in which these projects articulate their sections from a typological and organizational perspective, as well as the spatial opportunities they create, can offer valuable insights and strategies for replicating certain effects and offer a toolset for collective housing solutions

Split-level parameters In its most abstract sense, a split-level can be defined as a base level that is partially displaced vertically, creating an interruption in the continuity of the slab through the use of steps or stairs that connect spaces at different heights. In the context of collective housing, this typology often takes the form of a longitudinal Z-section. However, the vertical stacking of such splitlevel units introduces specific complexities inherent to these sectional arrangements.

We will define the split-level apartment as a unit spanning a certain depth (d), vertically displaced at a certain height (h) and a certain number of times (s).

The section of the apartment determines the type of interlocking it will establish in section with its negative (n) and the gaps (g) these produce in between for circulation or other common uses.

01. Depth (d) The depth of a split-level unit addresses the tension between maximizing marketable surface and meeting light and ventilation standards. It refers to the total distance between opposite extremes, and the partial distances between splits and the façade. This typology can span the entire depth of a building, improving light, ventilation, and views. It reduces circulation space while increasing living areas, as seen in Narkomfin, El Taray, Bartningallee, and Marseille.

02. Height (h) Height refers to both the split’s vertical displacement and the resulting space. These displacements can vary, from subtle steps in Kanchanjunga to full level shifts in Marseille. These design elements allow for spaces with variable heights, such as double-height rooms and areas adjacent to the façade to maximize natural light, often used for social areas like living or dining rooms.

03. Number of splits (s) The vertical displacement creates spatial subdivisions, typically separating a social area and a private area.

Kanchanjunga, however, features multiple splits, offering a greater variety of spatial configurations.

04. Negative (n) The vertical stacking of units requires complementary designs that interlock in section. This creates a varied vertical pattern, as seen in designs like El Taray, Bartningallee, and Marseille, which use mirrored or inverted layouts. Some projects, such as Zomerdijkstraat and Kanchanjunga, create distinct types of units with irregular stacking patterns.

05. Gaps (g) Vertical interlocking often creates gaps, which serve multiple functions. In Bartningallee and Marseille, gaps provide circulation or social spaces. Narkomfin and El Taray place these gaps on the façade, using them as communal terraces that extend the living space of the units.

Singularities in Split-level Types Having established the main parameters that define the split-level typology as a whole and presenting a transversal comparison between them, each of the individual cases will be analyzed as a generic type and the ways in which the combination of these strategies can produce specific architectural relationships, effects and opportunities will be described.

01. Half-split type The half-split type features two similar, yet opposite units arranged across three levels. Access is via the middle level, with doors leading to a small hallway and stairs going either half a level up or 1.5 levels down to the main living space. In the bottom unit, the bedroom is on the same level as the living room, while in the top unit, the bedrooms are half a level above the living room. The split-level layout results in the toilet being placed in the entrance hall, shared with the neighboring unit.

This arrangement provides spatial opportunities, including access to a 1.5-height, fully glazed space, offering views, natural light, and warmth in the cold Moscow climate. The vertical displacement of the bedroom also nests circulation, with a generous 2.3 m wide space positioned on the facade, creating an enclosed terrace that can expand the units.

02. Complimentary half-split This type functions similarly to the previous example, but with vertical circulation cores repeated every two units to provide independent entry for each section, resembling a townhouse layout. The system interlocks two units, with wet cores and bedrooms near the entrance in a single height, while common areas are at the opposite end with 1.5-level height.

This height difference allows subdividing the top unit into different spaces without vertical division, creating virtual boundaries. The 1.5-height space is fully glazed, improving thermal performance in cold climates. The unit’s small depth, lack of vertical elements, and large windows at both ends allow cross ventilation and create the illusion of a larger space. #Untagged

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“In collective housing, where optimization through repetition is the fundamental rule and driving force of the project, the use of the intricate section presents multiple challenges.”

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03. Deep section The deep section type consists of two mirrored “L” shaped units, varying in programmatic layout. Each unit has two levels, one dual-aspect and one single, with a wide horizontal circulation hallway in between.

This type covers deep sections while maintaining a reduced width, increasing density while providing generous common circulation space. A double height at one end provides light and ventilation to the central area, and its dual aspect brings light to both ends.

Two mirrored units define this type. The top unit is accessed through the kitchen, followed by a doubleheight social space with a terrace. On the top level, the main bedroom overlooks the double-height space, while the opposite end has two narrow rooms with a single-height terrace. The bottom unit inverts this layout, with the kitchen and dining area on the top level above the main bedroom, creating less privacy.

The alternating double heights add variety to the façades while keeping them equal.

04. Dense optimisation This type optimizes surface area to maximize density, using deep sections, unit multiplication, and minimal circulation spaces. By avoiding double-height spaces, it hosts a single-facing studio between two mirrored “Z”-section double-facing units, increasing apartment numbers.

The Z-section units are mirrored horizontally, with the main entrance through stairs at the centre. Half a level up (or down) leads to the living spaces with a terrace, followed by the bedroom at the opposite end. The units alternate orientation, creating a varied facade while maintaining the vertical core’s continuity.

“Its complex section allows minimal circulation and extreme unit proportions, improving spatial and environmental quality.”

05. The generous split El Taray Building is unique in its vertical irregularity, responding to the surrounding terrain. Internally, the typical unit features a single mirrored unit type.

The doors to both units open directly into staircases, leading half a level up (or down) to the main living area and a hallway with the wet core. In the top unit, access leads first to the living spaces, and further up to the bedrooms, while the lower unit inverts this, with access starting at the bedrooms.

The wet core’s position, half a level displaced from the circulation area, creates a unique relationship between spaces. The kitchen window in the bottom unit faces the common ground, while the window in

the upper unit is positioned low, facing the circulation.

These singularities arise from the split-level design.

The generous split allows for a setback main entrance, widening the circulation space to 3.40 m. This space becomes an open gallery linked to the exterior, acquiring the feel of a street.

06. Topographic dwellings The topographic tower is the most complex in its use of split-level strategies, featuring a variety of units and splits. In plan, all four unit types have a similar layout.

The bottom level includes public spaces, with the kitchen and service rooms near the entrance, living spaces facing the main facade, and bedrooms on the top level. The split design allows rooms to be virtually defined without vertical subdivisions, creating spaces with height changes and varied visual or vertical relationships (e.g., a living room separated from the dining room by a three-step height). The split also enables large double-height terraces at each apartment corner, providing cross-ventilation and serving as the heart of each unit.

Conclusions: rethinking the split-level type in a contemporary context The split-level layout is efficient in surface usage, making it ideal for affordable housing. Its complex section allows minimal circulation and extreme unit proportions, improving spatial and environmental quality. The combination of strategies in split-level units creates openness, continuity, and lighting, as seen in many case studies. These features can accommodate taller spaces and terraces near facades, provide continuity without vertical boundaries, and enable double-facing units. In colder climates, larger glazed surfaces produce a greenhouse effect, while crossventilation is facilitated in warmer areas.

The split-level typology can offer larger common circulation areas that act as extensions of apartments, creating a sense of community. In some cases, circulation areas serve as terraces with wide views, creating an elevated common space.

However, challenges exist, particularly accessibility, as multiple steps and stairs make the spaces difficult for people with mobility limitations. The internal layout can also be problematic, as one unit may have a favourable layout while the other faces undesirable conditions. These complexities require skilful design by architects to balance the split-level’s spatial benefits with its aesthetic appeal.

Overall, the split-level typology enhances spatial quality and optimizes living conditions in collective housing. By staggering levels, architects achieve a unique balance of openness, continuity, and environmental performance. While split-level design presents challenges, careful navigation can ensure its relevance in contemporary housing, balancing innovation with practical needs such as inclusiveness and sustainability. #Untagged

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Liveable, Equitable, Resilient and Healthy Campamento.

The design of a healthy city focuses on creating a physical, social, and economic environment that promotes the overall well-being of its inhabitants, with special attention to sustainability and social inclusion.

Specialty leader

The module delves into innovative strategies for crafting dynamic and adaptable spaces where people can seamlessly live, work, and thrive. It envisions creative environments that not only support local production of energy, food, and clean water but also integrate smart mobility systems that connect communities. By fostering vibrant, entrepreneurial ecosystems, these strategies aim to build resilient urban areas that boldly address the urgent challenge of rapid global warming, while embracing the rich cultural and climatic characteristics of the dense Mediterranean urban environments.

Gemma Peribáñez

Using the district of Campamento, Madrid, as a catalyst, we invite students to engage in a design challenge that envisions a future that is not only more sustainable but also socially and experientially enriching.

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Urban Design & City Science

José María Ezquiaga Ezquiaga Arquitectura Sociedad y Territorio Professor Ezquiaga Arquitectura Sociedad y Territorio

01, 11: T. Christensen, V. Denisova, K. Madrigal, E. Nikolskaia. 02, 04, 10: A. Abbassi, A. Patel, X. Real, A. Voruz. 03, 12: J. Ferré, S. De Luca, E. Maldonado, S. Mandi, M. Ucha. 05, 06, 07: K. Akins, E. Delgado, B. Sahin, K. Sonawane. 08, 09: D. Christensen, P. Gaxiola, E. Cruz, M. Yasser.

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Top: street sections of proposed masterplan.

Right: Madrid plan showing site location, transport network and green infrastructure.

12. Urban Patchwork Julio Ferré, Sofía De Luca, Eduardo Maldonado, Sofia Rafailia Mandi, Milagros Ucha.

In what ways can the urban scale tackle the tensions between the individual and the collective? The project rethinks the relationship between Campamento neighbourhood and its surroundings, creating an environment with a distinct identity, but that can simultaneously integrate its urban and rural ecosystems by interweaving the existing urban patterns through urban patches. By focusing on density and environmental quality, it seeks to address the affordable housing crisis in Madrid, bringing a new model for urban living focused on soft mobility, community and ecosystem continuity.

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Left: masterplan exploded axonometric by urban systems. Right: Campamento masterplan proposal.

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Top left: housing block typologies. Bottom left: urban cell exploded axonometric. Right: axonometric detail of the green park system.

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Top: urban cells systems, from top to bottom: pedestrian streets, vehicle roads and energy generation. Right: site analysis.

13. Back To The Future

Anware Abbassi, Ayush Patel, Ximena Real, Antoine Voruz.

The project envisions a forward-thinking urban fabric that integrates adaptive mobility systems and clean energy production to meet the challenges of the future. Grounded in the evolving dynamics of Campamento, Back To The Future promotes sustainable transit networks and renewable energy infrastructure to create a city designed for resilience and ecological harmony. By redefining urban adaptability, the project bridges the needs of the present with the aspirations of a sustainable future.

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Left: axonometric details of street layout. Right: proposed masterplan for Campamento.

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Top left: street sections. Bottom left: urban block axonometric render. Right: render of green linear parks.

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Urban Design & City Science

“We should aim to create spaces that foster healthier and happier communities.” #Untagged

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Top left: Project Implementation strategies. “Urban Patchwork”, developed by Julio Ferré, Sofía De Luca, Eduardo Maldonado, Sofia Rafailia Mandi, Milagros Ucha.

Susana Isabel

Associate Director (Arup)

Julia Landaburu

Urban Planning & Sustainability Advisory (Arup) These sessions will provide an overview of several critical factors that need to be taken into account. These include different aspects of the implementation process: territorial, social, technical and real estate.

Each group will prepare a presentation for a Public Hearing of their project, convincing stakeholders that the project is feasible, realistic and aligned with their drivers. The most successful project is the one able to generate consensus and wide support.

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Project Implementation

Beyond Design: Management and implementation of complex projects

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Top right: Project Implementation strategies. “Back To The Future”, developed by Anware Abbassi, Ayush Patel, Ximena Real, Antoine Voruz.

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Qualities of Inhabiting with Anne

Lacaton

Assistant: Diego García-Setién gaSSz arquitectos

Guest Panelsits: Sebastian Diaz Universität der Künste

Christophe Hutin

Christophe Hutin Architecture

Florencia Collo

Photo taken by Jose Eduardo Delgado 78 Qualities of Inhabiting

atmos lab

This workshop was guided by a series of lectures and a collaborative panel discussion. Students asked questions to the panel within self-defined topics, and the resulting discourse informed final essay responses. The following text represents some of the topics addressed during the seminar.

Topic 1: Design Life-Cycle (K. Akins) Participation may be a poor term for what can be a powerful process in architecture. Less because of its definition, and more because of the connotation and the meaning it now represents. The concept of “participation” may be a tool designers use, but can imply a surface-level understanding of long-term appropriation and inhabitation.

Rather than providing the appearance of engagement, participation can be understood as mutual. It should address the way in which a project (space, building, etc) becomes an ecosystem and the evolution this implies. Thus, participatory measures are not only related to community input, but also to the ways that those communities occupy a space and contribute to design.

Topic 2: Value and Preserved Identity (A. Patel) Renovation can be more complex than building new, as engineers must work with outdated materials and designs, which can be time-consuming and costly. For users—residents and occupants—renovated buildings retain a sense of familiarity and continuity with their neighbourhood, fostering a stable community environment.

Renovation offers a chance to live in spaces adapted to modern standards without experiencing displacement, which can enhance a neighbourhood’s social fabric.

Topic 3: Redundancy and Generosity in Dense Urban Environments (V. Denisova) Metropolitan density brings its complexity to the topic. Being under conditions of actual physical limits to extend, we are expanding the topic of ‘what is important for us to own?’ and the concept of ‘extra’, by asking ‘If we deserve ‘an extra’, does it matter where this extra actually is?’. Under the principle of design as add-on, the concept of dwelling could be rethought through paradigm of reconfiguration, bit still being stuck to preserving and enhancing pre-existing.

The discourse nowadays should be formulated as ‘which spaces can we inhabit?’ to achieve joy, pleasure and dignity while prioritizing private spaces.

Preservation and Informal Settlements (M. Gouda) The conventional approach to urban development often prioritizes financial gain over community and cultural significance, leading to the demolition of existing buildings to create profitable developments. Developers frequently view underdeveloped residential areas only as a profit and investment potential, without taking into considerations the negative impact this has on the environment and the community. Preserving informal settlements where it is popular that communities self construct their houses, and often leave them unfinished, has become a critical subject in social architectural debates. These neighbourhoods that are found in many under developed countries around the world, are an example of resilience, adaptability, and cultural richness that cannot easily be replicated in newly developed buildings.

“What makes good conditions of life?”

“What do inhabitants expect from housing in terms of use and everyday life?”

“What makes the quality of a space?”

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Alison Brooks is an architect based in London, known for her innovative designs in urban planning, housing, and public buildings. With over 80 awards, including the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize, Brooks creates spaces that balance innovation, beauty, and environmental consciousness, as seen on projects like Cadence, the Smile, and the University of Oxford’s Cohen Quadrangle.

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A Conversation with Alison Brooks

About scale and context M.U: Alison, thank you so much for joining us today.

Kailey and I are editing this year’s edition of the Untagged magazine, and our aim to highlight outstanding projects within a set theme. In this third edition, we decided to centre the magazine around the concept of generosity in housing, which is something that came up a lot during the past year.

We thought that you would be the perfect person to talk about this because your work encompasses this idea in scale, as well as quality.

We were quite interested in a quote that you have in one interview, from the architect series, where you said that you can’t do housing without doing urban design. Related to this, we wanted to ask you, whether in relation to a single residence, neighbourhood, or city, what does it look like when the urban scale recognizes appropriation? And, what place does adaptability have at a scale where the public can be participants?

A.B: It’s great to be speaking too. And I think as you know, my four ideals as an architect are authenticity, generosity, civicness, and beauty. And so generosity is sort of baked into my approach to architecture generally, but I think it has additional impact and meaning and value when it’s applied to housing.

I think in kind of, straightforward terms, urban design is, and housing is very much about, the public realm. And, I actually believe that housing is the public realm. The form, façades, entrances, scale, mass—all of that—they are the frame for the public realm that we exist in. Sometimes I call it civic architecture, and that housing is the most important type of civic architecture because it impacts the most people.

It affects their quality of life and their experience of the everyday. And that’s why, in my view, housing has to give back a lot to civic life. The client of housing is the public.

It’s not just the developer. It’s the city, and it’s also the future. You know? It’s the future city, future generations.

We also normally try to reintroduce public spaces such as garden squares, which are a very English thing — wonderful pieces of green space in the city that are slightly anarchic. Anybody can go there dressed anyway and do just about anything (that’s not illegal), and it’s a great tradition. The idea of a park is then obviously concentrated into square, garden square, in the context of London, but also piazzas—hard spaces, spaces with trees, pavements, and sidewalks. I think housing is about making great streets, and so I also sometimes call the work we do street architecture.

I hope that gave you a sense of what I mean when I say that housing is urban design. It’s the responsibility of housing to be reciprocal—to respond to the needs and desires and dreams of the public and not just the clients who are potentially living in those buildings.

M.U: Yes. Absolutely. I think it definitely gives us a sense of that. And, since we were talking more about the urban scale and this idea of making a space your own, what qualities do you think play an important role in creating spaces that can allow a wide variety of ways of living, but without falling into neutrality?

A.B: Yes. I mean, adaptability is a huge issue generally in architecture today because of the climate crisis, carbon, and trying to make buildings that can adapt over time so that we don’t need to keep tearing down and rebuilding.

But at the same time, housing has to comply with quite strict space requirements normally. And, again, there are kind of rules and restrictions in terms of floor area and efficiency. You know, all of these words, they’re just part of the ecosystem of housing design—making buildings affordable by keeping the floor area at a minimum. And I’m always trying to challenge this.

I’ve never met anybody who needs less space. And it’s very interesting because new developments that are built according to these minimal space requirements, like, 50 square meter one bedroom, a 70 square meter two bedroom, and an 80 square meter three bedroom that sort of say a human life is worth 10 square meters, which I don’t think is true. I think the difference is much bigger when you have more people living in a dwelling. So I always try to find ways of increasing the space that people have, in terms of floor area, to give that sense of adaptability and generosity that can sometimes be achieved with ceiling heights. More volume generates a sense of more space and more light, and even things like French doors with Juliet balconies, they create a kind of illusion of there being more space outside just beyond that door. So that connection to space beyond is really, really important, along with finding other ways of being generous—like in common areas, double height spaces, porches, porticoes, or places that don’t necessarily qualify for the efficiency calculations.

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(cont.) And I often use the example of the English Georgian terraced house as an example of volumetric generosity and robustness that has adapted over time to every possible use—like the architectural association, which is actually five Georgian terraced houses not together. And, you know, most of the hotels in Central London are actually terraced houses, either Georgian or Victorian, that have been knocked together to make a hotel, university, law office, or any other type of use.

K.A: I think that actually works well into our next question, which I think we’re both very excited about. For reference, we got this from your interview with the Second Studio Podcast (ep.317). And, as you were discussing in the last question, we really resonated with the ways that architecture can not only be animated itself, but also that it can be alive even within its context. We wanted to ask you what elements specifically, whether spatial or otherwise, make your own experience of architecture feel animated?

About joy in design

A.B: Yes. I think these ideas can be transferred between architecture and places or even nature. It’s amazing if you look at children’s storybooks, practically every animal in a children’s storybook has a personality and a character.

You know, we personify animals for children. We personify nature, trees, and plants. They become characters in stories. Also, this idea of a kind of spirit, you know, a spirit of a place.

K.A: I think a lot of those ideas touched on things that will come up in a couple of questions as well, so we can revisit some of that too. And, in terms of your work with the MCH or just in your practice, we also wanted to reflect on the relationship you were discussing between quality, joy, and happiness in a given space. That idea really resonated with us in your work and lectures that you’ve done. We were interested in how you think this might overlap with the ways that you emphasize contextual identity and site history?

A.B: I can’t really imagine why anybody would want to be an architect if you didn’t want to bring joy into people’s lives with your work. You know, if that’s not the aim, then you’re in the wrong profession. We want beauty to be a part of our life. Architects have a huge responsibility to create places and environments that offer those gifts. And, I think it’s also about meaning. And maybe this is where the question of context comes in—that it’s also about stories. We talk about meaning. But for most people, they kind of want a story behind the design.

So often I’m asked, where did an idea come from? As if, you know, you sort of pluck it from somewhere. Residents of our housing projects love knowing what the backstory is behind the design. For example, One Ashley Road, our scheme in Tottenham Hale, is built on the site where there once was a whole neighbourly that was the barrel pencil factory (the barrel eagle pencil with the orange hexagonal planform).

And, a sort of hexagonal planform became a way of resolving all these really unusual geometries of the site and extruding that planform and carving away at it. That was really inspired or reinforced by this idea of a pencil and the pencil factory being part of the history of the site.

It also informed the colour of the brick and then a whole kind of iconography around hexagons that we used for the balustrades and the tiling and various other things in the building. And, when we tell residents that was the inspiration behind the design, it makes them really happy to know that they’re actually living in a place that has an idea behind it—that connects to memory, that connects to the path, that connects to the place, and that they’re part of that story of the place.

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A Conversation with Alison Brooks

We often talk about, whether it’s in nature or even cities, the fact that we can say we love London. How can you love an entire city with 10,000,000 people in it? You know? It’s sort of like London becomes personified. It’s an identifiable character.

But I think, if we speak specifically about architecture, I’ve felt perhaps with buildings prior to the twentieth century that architectural language, form, and iconography were— there was a lot of effort made—to give buildings character and personality. It even goes to the Baroque, for example.

In the Baroque era, it was all about expressing a kind of exuberance, life, growth and expansion. And, you know, the complex geometries and curves. It’s like buildings are billowing with life, music, and exuberance.

And one of the ways that I have tried to do that is with geometry.

In particular, housing is quite tricky because apartments and multifamily housing is generally quite cellular and there’s a lot of repetition. But then, as you aggregate those units, you can work with building forms that have geometries at an urban scale that are non orthogonal—they can be faceted, carved in unusual ways, or clad in ways that start to loosen up this relationship between buildings, cities, and individual spaces. For example, in private houses, the geometry of the house is kind of canted or polygonal in order to either focus on views, create focusing spaces, or expand spaces. The architecture is doing something to help you experience the space, place, or view in a more intentional way.

And then another idea where I’ve tried to express this idea of animated architecture is working with a kind of plane—a sort of single plane that is folded to make a space or to make an entire building out of one folded surface. The idea of continuity—that a floor becomes a wall, the wall becomes a roof, and the roof folds, returns, and lifts.

It’s sort of thinking of the elements of architecture in action, rather than just assembling components that you stick together. It’s a more plastic idea of working with architecture—either it’s carving or folding.

And then another thing is pattern and surface because, especially in housing, it’s all about the pattern, which is about working with proportions of openings. You’re creating a pattern of windows, openings, or fenestration that will be seen generally in perspective. You’re generally looking up or down a street. So it’s about making a pattern and, in my view, a pattern that is not static. And I think, in a lot of housing, it’s so much about just ordering these cellular elements that comprise a building. And that can be done beautifully. It’s a very Corbusian thing, freeing the facade from the structure.

But that doesn’t mean it needs to be a strip window or onehundred percent curtain wall. We can still work with windows, French doors, punched openings, but in a way that creates a pattern, and also reflects generosity.

So I guess those three things—geometry, continuity through folding and carving, and pattern and surface—they’re all part of a mission to animate architecture.

About generosity M.U: So with these questions, as you may have seen, we are trying to arrive at a definition, whether partial or not, of generosity and what it means. This is in relation to architecture as a whole, but also specifically to housing.

We were wondering if it’s possible to establish some sort of framework for generosity and what do you think is essential to its definition, while also considering that there is this question of affordability that has to be in a way related to it? And, how does the definition of generosity change specifically in housing design? Or maybe you consider it as something that is integrally related.

A.B: Well, I think, generosity is such a critical idea in all kinds of ways, socially as well as architecturally. I think there’s at least two main kinds of generosity, the measurable and the immeasurable.

The measurable kind of generosity is, I guess, what we would sort of default to when somebody’s speaking about generosity in architecture. It’s something that you can measure. Is the floor area the minimum, or are you giving more space to a dwelling? Are the corridors the minimum, or are they a little bit wider or higher than the minimum?

And then there’s volume, which I’ve spoken about. I think I’ve said at one point I’m never going to do housing with less than 2.7 meter high ceilings. But I think I’ve been worked

down to 2.6 because it’s quite tough. High ceilings affect the proportions of the façades, which is that kind of civic gesture.

So, yes, there’s floor area and there’s volume, which is kind of less measured. Even though it is measurable, it’s not used as a criteria in selling housing or designing housing.

It’s sort of like saying “save some money by squashing all the floors down to the minimum.” But increasingly, cities, planning authorities, and even clients realize that is not a way of creating value—long term value.

But then if we want to talk about more immeasurable ideas of generosity, I think part of that is an architect bringing desires, in terms of what they know are good places to be. And these, I would describe as threshold spaces. You know, what is the arrival experience for someone who lives in a housing scheme, an apartment building, or any type of building? It’s where you have to make a decision whether to go in or stay out or whether you feel welcome to enter. And that can be related to a common area or a private home, like a portico, veranda, or a porch. To have a porch or veranda expresses not only a gesture of welcome, but also a kind of threshold between public and private. You need that layer— what I call also sometimes inhabited edge.

And then another kind of immeasurable thing is just the care in the detail or the effort it takes to, for example, introduce roof lights. You know, in multi-story apartment buildings, practically none of those buildings have roof lights on the top floor—even though it’s an obvious thing to do to bring light into different spaces, to take advantage of the sky. I always try to create opportunities to see the sky, to bring light in from above, and just to intensify the feeling of being in nature. Biophilic design isn’t just about trees and seeing greenery. It’s also about seeing clouds and seeing the sky.

And then, also, care in the details, like specifying a really nice front door with a good handle—the detail of staircases, handrails, or doors. You know, the things in architecture that people touch are generally doors and staircases.

And so those are such important moments in projects. I think people actually care in design. People can tell when somebody didn’t care about an elevation or a material or a door. It’s obvious. So that’s where we can make a huge difference. Those small moments in everyday life. #Untagged

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01 01: P. Gaxiola 3D-Printed Model, 02: (AI Image) K. Akins, 03: (AI Image) K. Akins, 04: (AI Image) A. Patel, 05: 3D Printed Geometries (as presented in the HYTAC review), 06: (AI Image) K. Madrigal, 07: (AI Image) A. Patel, 08: (AI Image) Jose E. Delgado, 09: E. Maldonado 3D-Printed Model, 10: T. Christensen 3D-Printed Model, 11: B. Sahin 3D-Printed Model, 12: M. Yasser 3D-Printed Model, 13: (AI Image) J. Ferré

Hybrid Techniques for Architecture Design

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Felipe Santamaría Tolk Studio Guest Jury

Joaquin Iquince This course combined digital modeling skills with 3D printing and iterative testing. Students experimented with parameters that focused on possible height, length, and cantilever limits within given print requirements. Models were made digitally and ultimately translated to physical objects that addressed material, size, and machine capabilities.

The final towers, bridges, and cantalevers were presented as the culmination of this testing process.

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Joaquin Iquince SKREINSTUDIOS

In a new course offered by the MCH, students participated in a seminar focusing on the analysis and implementation of new AI-powered software to accelerate the design and representation process.

As part of the assignment, students created a simple 3D model, and subsequently, using artificial intelligence and following various instructions and references, generate high-quality images based on that model.

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01: Zürich: Residential Development Guggach by Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin.

Tour led by Elli Mosayebi, 02: Zürich: Gerätehäuser und Zielturm Sihlhölzli by Roger Boltshauser Architekten. Tour led by Matthias Peterseim, 03: Zürich: Informal tour of Zurich with MCH students, 04: Zürich: MCH students tour spaces at ETH Zürich, 05: Zürich: Housing Complex Steinwies/Irisstrasse by Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin. Tour led by Elli Mosayebi, 06: Binz111 by Startseite Steib Gmür Geschwentner Kyburz. Tour led

by Laura Scheerer, 07: Zürich: Project by Startseite Steib Gmür Geschwentner Kyburz.

Tour led by Patrick Gmür, 08: Vitra Campus: MCH students tour the Vitra campus and musuem, 09: Zurich: Binz111 by Startseite Steib Gmür Geschwentner Kyburz. Tour led

by Laura Scheerer, 10: Zürich: Binz111 by Startseite Steib Gmür Geschwentner Kyburz.

Tour led by Laura Scheere, 11: Zürich: Wohn- und Gewerbesiedlung Kalkbreite by Müller Sigrist Architekten AG. Tour led by Pascal Müller, 12: Vitra Campus: MCH students tour the Vitra campus, 13: same as 09, 14: Zürich: Paul-Clairmont-Strasse by Startseite Steib Gmür Geschwentner Kyburz. Tour led by Patrick Gmür, 15: MCH students tour the Vitra campus.

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Hrvoje Njiric

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Juan Herreros

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Alison Brooks

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Elli Mosayebi

05 Learning From Tokyo

Momoyo Kaijima

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07 Urban Fabric of Madrid

Jacob Van Rijs + Ignacio Borrego

Dietmar Eberle

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Afro-futures.

Migrants’ housing in European context.

The task is focused on low-cost collective housing for African migrants, on affordable and innovative solutions for basic dwelling needs within a specific Spanish context of the city of Granada.

As Spain continues to grapple with issues of sustainability, the indigenous knowledge systems embedded in African architecture which often emphasize harmony with the environment and sustainable resource usage could provide invaluable insights and design strategies for a more sustainable future.

In times where politics, ecological disasters and economy call into question how individuals, collective action and designthinking can enable urban change, one investigates alternative methodologies that allow critical engagement and inclusion of difference for architecture and built environment.

The assignment gives an opportunity to think about social, cultural and environmental effects in sustainable design within defined parameters.

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Hrvoje Njiriç njiric+ arhitekti Assistant

Esperanza Campana Salto Proyectos

Guest jury Álvaro Martín Fidalgo Taller DE2

Fu 01, 06, 07, 08, 12: V. Denisova, A. Voruz, D. Martinez, 02, 10: E. Nikolskaia, 03, 05: M. Ucha, K. Madrigal, K. Sonawane, 04, 09, 11: A. Patel, K. Akins, P. Gaxiola

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14. The Strip Derrick Christensen, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Betül Şahin Concrete structures are meant to last for hundreds of years, but their structure should be able to contain different ways of living. The vernacular units proposed can be moved or transformed because of their natural and low carbon materials, by circular economy.

Due to the organization and proximity of the units, various intermediate spaces emerge. Depending on their dimensions, these spaces can host different activities. In this communal area, various daily activities take place, such as meals, dancing, crafting, and children’s games.

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Afro-Futures

“Plural participation” addresses the multiplicity within communities.”

Top left: project strategies diagram. Right: project masterplan.

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Top: project typologies. Bottom left: project section perspective.

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“In a caring city, public spaces convey a sense of safety.”

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15. A Mat of Castles, Courtyards and Towers in Rosaleda Viktoriia Denisova, Diego Martínez, Antoine Voruz The project tackles the challenges of diversity in immigrants’ identities in different dimensions.

First, by implementing adaptable units and offering housing for individuals, small and larger groups. This ensures the flexibility to respond to the different stages of migration, from temporary to permanent solutions, and allows for growth according to future needs. In addition, the urban activities and housing zoning harmoniously resolve the relationship between immigrant and native inhabitants, while providing productive, contemplation, recreation and services infrastructures.

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“Plural participation” addresses the multiplicity within communities.”

Left: Project typologies diagram. Right: Masterplan.

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Top left: Project Batamaribas typology, Bottom left: housing plans. Right: exterior perspective render.

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“The de-institutionalization of common spaces enables the right to the city.”

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Biodiverse city.

Residentialization of modernist containers for the biodiverse city.

01, 02: D. Christensen, M. Gouda, T. Christensen, 03: A. Voruz, P. Gaxiola, Jose E. Delgado, 04: E. Maldonado 05, 06: E. Maldonado, A. Abbassi, E. Cruz, E. Nikolskaia, 07, 09: K. Akins, M. Ucha, D. Martínez, B. Sahin, 08, 10, 11, 12: K. Madrigal, V. Denisova, A. Patel, Sofia R. Mandi

The workshop is a research program that aims to review the models to think and design contemporary collective housing in the environment of opportunity areas generated by social, cultural, and climate crises in our cities. With this, the purpose is to respond to the demands that involve the city to regenerate and re-qualify obsolete structures for new types of demands and new types of citizens, more open-minded, more engaged, more demanding of new concepts of quality, with interests and life models far from the conventional ones.

Workshop leader

Our areas of opportunity will be the bigscale infrastructural buildings emerged in the Spanish dictatorship to represent a kind of national euphoria that today, in progressive abandonment, claim to be recycled, programmed and reoccupied in order to reinsert them in the urban fabric.

Ernesto Castro

Additionally, a growing demand for the dissolution of the artificial and natural categories (humans and non-humans) and the obsolescence of any binary classification which, under the prefix of “trans”, opens a door to re-qualify obsolete facilities as places of coexistence for collective residence of people with other species.

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Juan Herreros estudio Herreros Assistant

Pedro Pitarch Guest lecturers

Diego Barajas Husos

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16. Parasite Kailey Akins, Diego Martínez, Betül Şahin, Milagros Ucha Humar.

The existing perspective defines human and natural spheres as separate and distinct. Current reintegration efforts often preserve this dichotomy by inserting curated natural systems as “bubbles” into contemporary buildings. Similarly, natural ecosystems are often reduced to “manageable” plant life that only fills gaps in the existing built environment.

This project aims to dissolve these boundaries between human and natural ecosystems by asking how personal habitation can become part of the native systems it occupies. Simultaneously, it aims to embed the natural into the architectural, understanding them as a single unit, where life can be hosted even inside the smallest pores.

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“A residential urban frame in coexistence with the biodiverse city.”

Left: project strategy diagram. Right: axonometric diagram developed by Kailey Akins.

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Top left: Project Section developed by Kailey Akins, Top right: Project Axonometric, Bottom: Project perspective.

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17. Colony Anware Abbassi, Edgardo Cruz, Eduardo Maldonado, Elizaveta Nikolskaia.

The project focuses on repurposing Madrid’s “Centro de Cálculo de la Caja Postal”, characterized by two prominent volumes with open floor plans above ground and subterranean levels for data storage. In light of climate predictions estimating Madrid’s temperatures will resemble Marrakech’s by 2050, the design adopts a forward-looking approach. Inspired by ant colonies, the project emphasizes internal spatial dynamics over exterior connections.

The design removes all interior elements within the two large volumes, leaving structural voids open to the lowest level while preserving the original facade and introducing new vertical circulation.

The subterranean spaces feature communal areas for cooking, coworking and recreation, while the lower levels house organic, user-centric residences.

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“hybridizations between the existing and the new in structural, constructive, material, social, programmatic etc.”

Primary Image: Project Transversal Section.

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How can housing design for, and learn from, surrounding biodiversity?

Top left: Conceptual Collage.

Bottom left: Project Plan Right: Interior Perspective developed by Eduardo Maldonado

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In Praise of Shadows: Towers of Madrid Nuevo Norte Madrid Nuevo Norte is an ambitious urban development project that aims to transform the northern part of Madrid into a modern, sustainable and connected district. Covering an area of approximately 2.3 million square metres (or 3.3 million square metres including the area covered by the railway tracks), it is one of the largest urban regeneration initiatives in Europe.

Workshop leader

In this workshop, the task is to re-imagine the residential tower so that it is liveable, generous, and welcoming of shade and darkness; attuned to the climate of Madrid. The seven tower schemes will evolve the qualities of the city’s finest ‘street architecture’ to find new form and expression, giving darkness and light equal consideration. Each group is assigned a plot of land in the surroundings of the new park considered in the MNN master plan, where they develop a multiprogrammatic architectural design, including collective housing, services, recreational areas, among others, always trying to rescue architectural values of the city as well as new ideas to revitalize the area.

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Alison Brooks

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Carlos Chauca David Chipperfield Architects

Juan Tur

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18. Hacienda Kailey Akins, Thomas Christensen, Eduardo Maldonado This approach challenged conventional ideas of high-rise living, focusing on human-scale design that balanced atmospheric conditions with environmental and social considerations.

The workshop also emphasized the need for new residential tower designs to meet the diverse needs of contemporary urban communities, encouraging a more inclusive and sustainable model of urban growth.

The design of this project is a reference to the historic courtyard building typology of the “hacienda” in Spain and in Mexico. The locations and orientations of the four courtyards on the plot are what drive the building form. By maximizing the number of courtyards on the plot, each are able to contribute a different experience to the project due to varying levels of privacy and connection to other public parts of the Madrid Nuevo Norte district.

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Left: Project Diagrams, Top: Project Axonometrics, Principle Image: Exterior Perspective developed by Thomas Christensen

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Top Left: Typical Residential Floor Plan, Top Right: Unit Plans, Bottom: Facade Axonometric Breakdown, Right: Exterior Perspective developed by Eduardo Maldonado 114 In Praise of Shadows

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19. A Threshold and a Tower Diego Martinez, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Ximena Real The concept of “Engawa,” as explored in the seminal book In Praise of Shadows by Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki, serves as the starting point for rethinking the tower. This threshold space, defined by its depth, shadow, and intermediate qualities, inspires a new expression for the recurrent stylized smooth envelopes in tall buildings. Reinterpreting the thresholds that exist in contemporary contexts offers the potential to infuse the tower’s envelope with qualities of darkness, shadow, and depth.

At the ground level the tower offers deepness to respond to the intense dynamics in the immediate surroundings while creates a transitional space towards the inside.

The different housing types within the project are designed to meet diverse future demands and adapt over time. The platform offers units for individuals and shared housing, while the tower accommodates studio apartments and two bedroom units.

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“re-imagine the residential tower so that it is liveable, generous, and welcoming of shade and darkness” Principle Image : Exterior Project Perspective developed by Eliza Nikolskaia

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Top: Typical Residential Plan, Bottom: Tower Plan, Right: Interior Perspective developed by Eliza Nikolskaia

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Domestic Fragments A critical intellectual engagement with forms of contemporary urban housing serves as the focus of the studio project, in the design of an apartment. The modest scale of the projects concentrates on the many themes of the interior, the form of dwelling, fundamental architectural elements and the climate.

In the centre of the discussion are the questions raised in the introduction: how is innovation in housing possible and what might it mean? What is the relationship between activities, functions and space?

Furthermore: for whom are we building such spaces? What are the requirements of the contemporary urban cultures of living? How are they expressed in the nonurban context?

The exercise consists in the design of a collective dwelling as a climatic shelter, where the fundamental threshold -the window as the main element- serves as a low-tech artefact in direct response to the given climatic condition. The project is compatible with today’s society, and the dwellings shall be inhabited by several people living independently of each other.

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Elli Mosayebi

Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin / ETH Zürich Assistant

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Christian Inderbitzin Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin / Karlsruher Institut für Technologie

01: T. Christensen 02, 04: A. Patel, S. De Luca, A. Voruz, 03, 06, 09: E. Maldonado, D. Martinez, J. Ferré 05: V. Denisova, B. Sahin, A. Abbassi 07: E. Nikolskaia, P. Gaxiola, M. Ucha 10: T. Christensen, K. Sonawane, E. Cruz 08, 11: Sofia R. Mandi, M. Gouda, Jose E. Delgado 12: K. Madrigal, K. Akins, D. Christensen, X. Real

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20. The Window + Lareira Kailey Akins, Derrick Christensen, Karla Madrigal, Ximena Real Given Climate: Transitional Oceanic - Greater thermal contrasts (annual and daily) with respect to the coastal oceanic climate due to the loss of the coast, which prevents its tempering effect.

Precipitation can be frequent, and because of average temperature ranges, it often falls as rain.

Window Adaptation: Window+ Lareira - In a climate that seems to highlight the role of the hearth, the window can not only anchor a space, but also work together with the fireplace to support the provision of warmth.

The Lareira provides heating during colder months and is often a communal gathering point within the home, reflecting cultural practices of warmth and social interaction. In these dwellings, thick stone walls and wooden beams enhance thermal insulation, while sloped tiled roofs handle rain effectively.

The window became a means of creating space and a key feature of the design. We asked whether a building element can be occupied, and if so, how can it inform the identity of a design?

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Left: Given Climate Area, Top: Project Plan, Bottom: Project Collage

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“can we... conceive of dwelling spaces beyond neutral functional programmes?”

Top: Floor Plan Zooms developed by Kailey Akins, Left: Detail Axonometric, Right: Project Miniature

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21. Inhabiting the Wall

Pedro Gaxiola, Eliza Nikolskaia, Milagros Ucha

Given Climate: Southeast Peninsula - Rainfall is very, very scarce, which makes these areas very arid, even desert-like, and long periods of drought are frequent. Temperatures are practically the same as the typical Mediterranean type, although the heat in summer is usually more intense, it is very hard for plant life.

Window Adaptation: Window + Shelf: On the south façade, the windows are small and deep, tailored to sleeping areas; as a result, the shelves function as bedside tables or storage units. Conversely, on the north façade, the window system resembles a wooden-framed curtain wall. These windows, directly connected to work or study spaces, double as desks and shelving for books and small items.

The project addresses the harsh climate by standing as a line in the landscape. It incorporates the strategies found in the vernacular examples of the Polvorín Caves in Almería by using rammed earth as the main material and introducing sleeping areas as carvings inside the wall, increasing the thickness.

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Top: Project South Elevation, Mid: Proect Plan, Bottom: Project Collage

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“Think of architecture not as a rigid vessel, but as something that’s constantly changing.”

Left (Top): Detail Axonometric, Left (Mid): Longitudinal Section, Left (Bottom):Climatic condition diagram, Right: Project Miniature

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Learning from Tokyo: High-Density Housing in Madrid With the aim of challenging the hypothesis that Europe’s population can grow without demolishing existing buildings, the studio proposes learning from housing design techniques and living practices in the densely populated 23 wards of Tokyo, and applying these concepts in Europe.

Students are asked to propose a project within a chosen scenario based on three key ideas: minimum, floor, and window.

Specialty leader

Key Ideas to Develop:

Paulo Dam

1. The Housing Loan Corporation Act of 1950 created a public finance entity offering loans with a low-interest rate of 5.5% for the construction of private homes, limiting the house area to a maximum of 100 m².

2. Japanese traditional houses featured an elevated floor, raised between 30 and 45 cm, where people would remove their shoes and sit directly on the floor. This floor functioned like a large piece of furniture itself.

3. Tokyo’s climate is warm-temperate, with four distinct yet warm seasons.

Windows serve as tools for regulating the environment, especially in high-density settings.

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Momoyo Kaijima Atelier Bow-Wow Assistant

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22. Ulises 95 Level 5 Derrick Christensen, Pedro Gaxiola, Eduardo Maldonado The project emphasizes community integration through fragmented volumes on the fifth level (of the given site at Calle Ulises 95). Blending nature into the architectural design, this approach creates organic flows, openings, and new “neighbourhood centres” within each cluster.

All drawings and physical models are done by hand. The project features 20 rooms with single and double beds, elevated to a mezzanine-like second level. In contrast, the ground floor hosts communal spaces such as kitchens, dining areas, recreation zones, and bathrooms. Privacy gradients are achieved through the strategic use of nature, with spaces near the northern and southern terraces being more public, transitioning to private as users move inward.

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Top Left: Facade Axonometric and Interior Section Axonometric, Principal Images: Physical Model Image #Untagged 133

“the studio proposes learning from housing design techniques and living practices in the densely populated 23 wards of Tokyo, and applying these concepts in Europe.”

Left: Hand-drawn sections, Right: Physical model image (facade)

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23. Ulises 95 Level 2 Eizaveta Nikolskaia, Antoine Voruz, Mariam Yasser The project relies on an experimental approach, envisioning a shared community environment tailored to families with children. Embracing innovation, the design re-imagines traditional boundaries, fostering a sense of openness and communal living. Private spaces, referred to as “window rooms,” are positioned along the north and south façades to maximize natural light. These slightly elevated rooms serve as sleeping areas, marking a subtle transition into private zones. This elevation was inspired by the Japanese genkan—an entryway where shoes are removed—symbolizing a respectful boundary between shared and personal spaces. By drawing on Japanese architectural principles, maximizing natural light, and embracing vibrant, child-friendly elements, the project offers a harmonious and inclusive environment where families can grow and thrive together.

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Top Left: Representative sketch developed by Eliza Nikolskaia, Principal Image: Model view developed by Eliza Nikolskaia #Untagged 137

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Left(Top): Hand-drawn dwelling axonometrics, Left (Mid): Hand-drawn plan, Left (Bottom): Hand-drawn section, Right: Physical Model Interior View #Untagged 139

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01, 10: P. Gaxiola, M. Gouda, X.Real, B. Sahin 02, 05, 12: M. Ucha, D. Christensen, S. De Luca, 03, 06, 09: E. Maldonado, K. Madrigal, A. Abbassi, Julio Ferré, 04, 11: A. Patel, Jose E. Delgado, D. Martinez, E. Cruz 07: V. Denisova, E. Nikolskaia, K. Akins, K. Sonawane, 08: T. Christensen, Sofia R. Mandi, A. Voruz

W06

Sky Colonies: Cooperative Densification in Madrid The pandemic crisis has changed the perception of living environments. This has led in some cases to a reverse Exodus out of the congestion of the city centers to rural or holidays environments but there is still a potential within the cities to achieve these desires without giving up to the attractive advantages of the hectic metropolis.

Berlin has recently changed some building regulations to encourage the creation of new housing. The construction of an additional floor on existing buildings is viewed favourably by the Berlin Office for Urban Development and is significantly cheaper than a new construction.

Each team represents an existing site, and the intervention can affect any existing flat rooftop. All fragments might be connected in one continuous complex within the whole block.

The construction is limited to the maximum of one extra floor in 25% of the flat roof top.

Designs include private units and the common interior areas (if there are), and the rest of the open-air spaces which will be also private or collective according to the proposal.

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Jacob van Rijs MVRDV

Workshop Leader

Ignacio Borrego

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24. Rainbow Street

Thomas Christensen, Sofia-Rafailia Mandi, Antoine Voruz

This project envisions transforming the rooftops of a square in Madrid’s Argüelles neighbourhood into a vibrant, collective living and working space for artists from around the world. Designed as a community where artists can live collectively and draw inspiration from one another, the project redefines the potential of urban rooftops by introducing two scales of intervention: a neighbourhood-scale integration and a city-scale landmark.

The first key strategy is to invite the public into this rooftop community by connecting the space with Parque del Oeste via a bold staircase that doubles as an amphitheatre. The rooftop itself is designed as an open exhibition space, with artists’ residences contributing to the aesthetic. Sixteen distinct living units, designed as “jewels,” provide each artist with a unique, personalized space.

The project solves the challenges of pitched roofs and varied heights by adding bridges that span rooftops or connect between buildings.

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“Always apply the happiness filter... Make sure the happiness of occupying these spaces is conveyed.”

Primary Image: Rendered Axonometric

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Left: Pavilion Plans and Axonometric Diagrams (Top to bottom: Music Pavilions, Plastic Arts Pavilions, Written language Pavilions, Dance Pavilions), Right: Exploded Axonometric

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25. From Street to Sky Kailey Akins, Viktoriia Denisova, Elizaveta Nikolskaia, Kunal Sonawane With many educational institutions surrounding the Argüelles area, this project provides an additional space for the academic community to host a variety of workshops, events, lectures, and residencies for scientific activities. In this project, an effort is made to not change the geometry of the roof, keeping the existing shape and working with it.

Focusing on short-term residents, the community was meant to cater to the needs of multiple users over time. Thus, housing typologies are light weight, convertible, and sized depending upon single or family occupants.

Due to the compactness of the area, the proposal works with a system of movable elements which can be opened and closed on both large and small scale, adapting to use of space and climatic season. This system programs spaces and provides many possibilities.

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Top Left: Exploded Axonometric Diagram (showing main stair, circulaiton, and housing) developed

by Kailey Akins, Primary Image: Interior Perspective #Untagged 147

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Establish ... “new forms of access. This sparks new destinations in the city.”

Top(1): Rendered Unit Axonometrics, Top(2): Unit Plans (left to right: Single Unit, Ground Floor Family Unit, 1st Floor Family Unit), Bottom: Project Plan, Right(Top): SE Axonometric View, Right (Bottom):NE Axonometric View

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01: M. Gouda, 02: M. Ucha, 03: A. Abbassi, 04: D. Martinez, 05: Sofia R. Mandi, 06: E. Maldonado, 07: S. De Luca, 08: A. Voruz, 09: X. Real, 10: T. Christensen, 11: B. Sahin, 12: K. Akins

W07

Housing Design in the Urban Fabric of Madrid This workshop explored innovative approaches to designing housing seamlessly integrated into the existing urban fabric of Madrid. Over the course of the workshop, students tackled the complexities of three distinct types of urban environments: the historical city from the 17th century, the 19th-century urban expansion, and the contemporary city developed from the 20th century onward.

Each student rotated through the three sites, adapting to varying scales and design rules daily. They were tasked with developing specific architectural components such as the building massing, structural systems, or façade design.

Students then incorporated elements from their peers’ work into their own projects, fostering a collaborative and accumulative design methodology.

For the final assignment, students selected one site for a comprehensive project development. This required them to revisit and refine the envelope, structural system (with its respective floor plan), and façade, culminating in a fully realized architectural proposal.

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Baumschlager Eberle Architekten Assistant

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26. Site A Adaptation 1 Eliza Nikolskaia This project works on several scales: it affects the historical grid of the city, creates a new event, a chamber square with a new dominant – a bright tower. The tower interacts with its surroundings, incorporating proportions, and flirts with the bell towers nearby, recalling the historical significance of the area. This type of architecture sets a new standard for urban development and providing a new stimulus and landmark.

The exterior façades of the complex do not stand out from the streets with their decoration, they withstand the rigour and proportions of the environment, rather being the background for the history around. This is the opposite of what happens inside the square, where the façades exist in a looser grid and work more for themselves.

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Top Left(1): Project Plan, Left (Mid): Exterior Perspective, Right(Top Left): Section Facade Detail, Right (Top Right): Exterior View, Right(Bottom): Street Elevation

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27. Site A Adaptation 2 Ayush Patel Balcony Depth: The 1.5-meter depth of the balconies allows for ample space for sitting, planting, or small gatherings, typical of traditional Spanish balconies which are often used for outdoor leisure and ventilation.

Folding Doors: The inclusion of folding doors on the balcony is reminiscent of classic Spanish architecture, where large openings are common for ventilation and to create a connection between the indoor and outdoor spaces.

Sliding Door to Enter the Balcony: The use of sliding doors for access to the balcony enhances the functionality of the space. Sliding doors are a spaceefficient solution that allows easy access to the outdoor area without taking up additional interior space for swinging doors.

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Top Left: Facade Detail Axonometric, Above: Facade Section Detail, Right: Exterior View, Bottom: Project Elevation with Street Context

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28. Site B Adaptation 1 Eduardo Maldonado This project integrates previous proposals, combining volumetric design by Ayush Patel and the structural scheme by Milagros Ucha, both adapted to create a unified concept with and individually designed facade. The main idea centres on providing residents with terraces of varying sizes that maintain a connection to the exterior while being shielded by architecture, harmonizing with the street’s vegetation and southern sunlight.

The design consists of three volumes that form interior courtyards and diverse façades, respecting local identity while addressing contemporary demands for innovative solutions. Public spaces are located on the ground floor, while stairs and elevator cores distribute users across the building. The facade features metallic combined with permeable elements like metal meshes and evenly spaced railings. Wooden curtains and blinds are included to protect the terraces.

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Left(Top): Form Diagram, Left (Mid): Structure Axonometric and Plans, Left (Bottom): Project and Street Elevation, Right (Top): Exterior Facade Views, Right (Bottom): Project Elevation - Street Facing

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29. Site B Adaptation 2 Ximena Real These three assigned plots are in the historic city, the 19th-century city, and the 20th-century city, respectively. On the first day, the building’s volume is designed for a specific plot. On the second day, the structure of another person’s volume is developed for the next plot, and on the third day, the façade detail of the project on the third plot is created. In this way, we design on all the plots, and for the final project, one is chosen and developed according to the individual proposal.

The present work is located in the plot inscribed in 19th-century Madrid, where the façade, volume, and structure aim to relate to the context, meet the requirements of regulations and density, and at the same time express a contemporary character suitable for current housing.

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Left(Top): Plan Diagram Project Block labeled “A”, Left (Mid): Typical Plan and Structure Axonometric, Right: Project Elevation Street Facing

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Alumni Feature Project

Edificio Criba RAMA estudio

Carolina Rodas Location

San Antonio, Ambato - Ecuador Built Area

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400 m2

2018

(Project description provided by C. Rodas) San Antonio is a residential neighborhood in the city of Ambato - Ecuador; the single-family homes are becoming buildings. It is a central district, has all the services, was one of the main neighborhoods of the city and enjoyed great recognition for its festivities and the architecture style we can find in it. However, seeing and being seen is part of a response to the lack of communication and insecurity that has been experienced in recent years. In this way, the streets delimit their journey with high walls totally impermeable to a daily reality.

The property for the project has a complex geometry, a practically triangular shape lot, with almost 20 meters of front and 3 meters in the back. In addition to this, an existing house built at the back of the land must be conserved.

The building exposes its social areas and access to the neighborhood, has a permeable and adaptable screen that sifts the light and provides security to the element without losing the direct connection to the street. The fence opens towards the street, giving the neighborhood a green area and public space.

Three apartments are distributed in 3 floors, with the complex angles of the land giving the pattern to generate light courtyards and spatial organization on each floor.

The light courtyards also centralize all the installations and allow cross ventilation in the spaces.

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Design team: Carolina Rodas, Felipe Donoso, Carla Chávez | Collaborators: Eduardo Pullas, Diego Vélez | Illustration: Carlos Valarezo | Construction: Patricia Buenaño, Cadd & Construcciones | Electrical Design: Javier García | Engineering team: Germán Rosero, Juan Trujillo | Photography: Jag Studio

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(Description cont.) Among the habitability analysis, the kitchen is considered a fundamental point in the home (point of heat). This is an articulating space for the units linking the two areas, bedrooms and social areas. In addition to this, each unit has a master bedroom, and a flexible secondary space, which has a series of sliding pivoting panels that can transform this space from a multipurpose room into two independent bedrooms according to the needs of the users.

The project structure is designed with reinforced concrete diaphragms, which support the three lightened slabs. All the elements are modulated in standard formats of boards and pieces of formwork to minimize the waste of material and reduce the time and cost in unnecessary cuts an workforce. The diaphragms make up most of the internal divisions, while the rest of the divisions are built with pressed block masonry, which reduces time, costs and volume of material in walls and plaster reinforcement. Wood and metal are the other two materials that complement the structure in closures, facade, vertical circulation, details among others.

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(Top to Bottom): 1) Project Elevation, 2) Floor Plan with callout for flexible space, 3) Project Section

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In conversation with Carolina Rodas Tell us briefly about your professional journey. In what ways has your time at the MCH influenced your career as a whole and your current practice specifically?

C. R. I have worked in architecture for approximately 10 years. My time at the MCH was crucial in starting my independent studio, inspired by great professors whose architecture creates a positive social impact. Courses on sustainability, passive architecture, and urbanism, focused on understanding the urban environment through housing, allowed me to direct my interest towards resource optimization through experimentation. Currently, exploring how to develop passive architecture in Latin American contexts, different from European ones, is key in my studio. My research has focused on improving urban habitability through critical architectural projects that extend to urban plans, understanding the topography and dynamics of the Ecuadorian environment.

By understanding our local materials and techniques, I have learned to adapt them to create high-quality contemporary architecture. The MCH approach motivated me to investigate innovative solutions tailored to the realities of the context, always maintaining a critical perspective on social and cultural issues. This experience has enriched my practice and vision as an architect.

The theme for this year’s edition of the magazine is generosity. In what ways do you think this concept relates to your practice? What are the spatial qualities that, in your opinion, make architecture generous?

C. R. Talking about generosity in architecture is coherently addressing the social and environmental issues that affect us, recognizing that access to architects remains a privilege of those who have more. We understand generosity as the ability to create affordable housing, well-connected to public transportation, and respectful of natural resources, using local materials and fostering local microeconomies. From RAMA’s perspective, being generous means defending the right to natural light, adequate ventilation, physical and social connection with the neighborhood, and having flexible spaces that allow for unique habitation, without the constraints of predefined programs. Spatial quality does not depend on more square meters, but on creating useful, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing environments. Being generous means recognizing architecture as a tool to create diverse scenarios that adapt to current realities, creating austere architecture, but not cheap.

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Alumni 2024 Edition Anware Abbassi

Eduardo Maldonado

Tunisia | abbasianwware@gmail.com

Mexico | eduardo.maldonado@gmail.com

Kailey Akins

Sofia-Rafailia Mandi

United States of America | kailey.akins@gmail.com

Greece | sofiarafmandi@gmail.com

Thomas Christensen

Diego Martínez

United States of America | tachristensen10@gmail.com

Colombia | diegocmartinezm@gmail.com

Derrick Christensen

Elizaveta Nikolskaia

Argentina | derrickchristensen98@gmail.com

Russia | liz.nikolsky@gmail.com

Edgardo Cruz

Ayush Patel

Mexico | edgardocg99@gmail.com

India | ayuushpatel07@gmail.com

Sofía De Luca

Ximena Real

Argentina | dluca.sofia@gmail.com

Paraguay | ximenareal.arquitectura@gmail.com

José Eduardo Delgado

Betul Sahin

Mexico | eddydegas@gmail.com

Türkiye | betulsahin.architecture@gmail.com

Viktoriia Denisova

Kunal Sonawane

Russia | victoriadenisova21@gmail.com

India | sonawanekunal3170@gmail.com

Julio Ferré

Milagros Ucha

Peru | j.ferrealv@gmail.com

Argentina | milagrosuchahumar@gmail.com

Pedro Gaxiola

Antoine Voruz

Mexico | pedrogaxiolag@gmail.com

Switzerland | antoine.voruz@gmail.com

Karla Madrigal

Mariam Yasser

Mexico | karla.madrigal57@gmail.com

Egypt | mariamgouda@aucegypt.edu

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Tunisia | abbasianwware@gmail.com