LO BARNECHEA SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECT
SANTIAGO, CHILE
‘If we do not take care of how the process of migration towards cities is going to happen, the process of urbanisation is going to happen in the form of slums. So we’re in an urgency to generate the conditions so that the flow of people into cities happens in a good way.’ LO BARNECHEA - THE REGION Although slums have long existed in the region, due to its location it is actually one of the most expensive areas in the city, this is due to its close proximity to: _ Schools _ Public Transportation _ Hubs of Employment PROJECT GOALS The overarching goal is to replace all the shanty towns which are dotted throughout the region with low-cost, structured social housing. In order to maintain the highly prized social networks of the region the majority of the government funding was invested into the land – a commitment was made to supply low-cost, social housing in a prime position. Location was deemed to be critical; rather than investing in an additional square metre of house, they invested in a better square metre of land.
PROJECT OUTLINE
PROVIDE 150 INDIVIDUAL HOUSING UNITS OF INITIAL FLOOR SPACE OF 40 SQUARE METRES AND A COMMUNITY CENTRE ON 25,195 SQUARE METRE BLOCK OF LAND.
PLAN A government subsidy of US$10,000 was made towards each house with ownership passed on to its occupants.
DIVISION OF FUNDING The subsidy was split into three major components land ($4000), infrastructure ($3000) & construction of the house ($3000).
PROBLEM How can you build a dwelling of sufficient size to accommodate a family at such a low cost?
SOLUTION Instead of producing fully finished dwellings of tiny proportions, extremely simple (but still livable), bare-bones dwellings of appropriate size were constructed.
ADDITIONS It is the intention of the dwelling’s design for the occupants to add to the basic form when it is financially possible.
Ground Floor - Mezzanine
ADDITIONS - 2ND FLOOR The composition of the dwellings enables owners to flesh out the mezzanine to a completely separate second floor.
ADDITIONS - LOFT The final addition being a loft level - floor space in its complete form is 69.2m2 from 44 m2 (basic form) a 57% increase!
Separate Second Floor
Converted Loft Level
COMPLETION As the occupants are the owners, there is an incentive to upgrade their homes as time progresses - this process was both critical & inherent in the design with the aim of not only making the dwellings more livable but leading the occupants towards a true sense of pride & ownership over the properties. This methodology is an example of the empowerment approach to planning. REFERENCES Urbanized, 2011, DVD recording, Swiss Dots Ltd.USA Lo Barnechea – ELEMENTAL 2012, Elemental, Chile, viewed 20th May 2012 <http://www.elementalchile.cl/vivienda/lo-barnechea/> Department of Planning and Community Development, Date Unknown, Public Housing Victoria, viewed 20th May 2012 <www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/.../Public_housing.pdf> Sandercock, Date Unknown, Transformative Planning Practices Harvey, 2008, ‘The Right to the City,’ New Left Review, vol. 53 Baum & Gleeson, ‘Space and Place: Social Exclusion in Australia’s Suburban Heartlands’, 2010, Urban Policy and Research, Vol. 28, No. 2, 135–159 Dalton and Rowe, 2002, A Wasting Resource: Public Housing and Drug Use in Inner City Melbourne, Melbourne, viewed 20th May 2012
Alejandro Aravena - Elemental Architects
PLANNING PROCESS OUTLINE As funding per household was extremely limited there needed to be decisions made as to what to include and exclude from the dwellings this came down to what was defined as a ‘necessity’. The goal was to involve stakeholders to ensure the production of a product which meets the users requirements, this was achieved via participatory design. DECISION MAKING The process of deciding what was a necessity was based on interviews with the prospective occupants with surprising outcomes. A list of options was produced and a tree diagram of decision making was put forward to the occupants - options such as choosing between: Installation of a bath in the bathroom OR A gas-fired hot water heater To the initial surprise of the project designers, 100% of the occupants interviewed opted for the inclusion of a bath over a hot water heater a perfect example of the participatory design approach! Until we understand the occupants mindset we can not understand what is of real value to them – coming from a slum the option of being able to wash/bathe indoors in privacy was a priority as they were previously washing in a bucket outdoors. Gas-fired hot water heaters also cost money to run, which isn’t supported by the meagre and sporadic income which is the norm across the occupants.
APPLICATION IN MELBOURNE
OUTLINE A comparison can be made with the physical slums of Lo Barnechea and the ‘vertical slums’ which are Melbourne’s social housing high rises - anecdotal evidence collated my Dalton & Rowe for their 2002 report suggests the majority of people interviewed would rather ‘squat’ in abandoned buildings than live in the current social housing Certain elements of the Lo Barnechea project could easily be translated to social housing within Melbourne, particularly providing flexible housing options with the over-arching goal of replacing the high-density social housing towers with clusters of medium-density housing scattered around high connected inner city suburbs. Although the decisions as to what are ‘necessary’ features within the dwellings will differ vastly to those within the Lo Barnechea project, involvement of stakeholders (occupants) will still be an integral part of the design process. It is an aim of the project to deliver a product which meets the needs of the user whilst instilling feeling of empowerment coupled with the emotional and physical ownership of the project. DELIVERABLES _ Medium density, cost effective social housing which has the scope to be modified by the occupants in their own time and within their own budget. _ Located within well-established areas with good network connectivity. _ Occupants are owners therefore the onus is on them to not only maintain but improve their environment. OUTCOMES _ Through the consultation process a level of trust is established between state government and the local community. _ Empowerment incites community participation _ Ownership and financial investment into the dwellings by the occupants instills a sense of pride - it is hoped that this translates to a closer knit community which maintains its assets. _ Curb the gentrification of inner-city suburbs allowing low income families access to well connected areas. _ Reduce the density of social housing from high to medium. SUMMARY _ Focus on Location - knitting social housing into an existing network _ Dwelling design to inherently contain a high level of flexbility _ Participatory Design Process _ Passing Ownership on to Occupants (Empowerment) ABPL20035_ CITIES: LOCAL TO GLOBAL - ASSIGNMENT 3 - NIELS UNGER
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