12 - Social Housing - Portugal

[Pedro Barradas]

Project
12 Social/ economic houses - 3 bedroom type.

Location
Alvalade sado - Portugal

Design Parameters
Reconversion of village entrance/ planning and construction of 12 house according to social housing regulations and constrains.

Design Approach
A new train of houses, hiding the existing backyards, new look for the main road that extends across the house stripe.

Plans will be available soon, below is the panel with the proposed image for the area.

[ryo]

that's what I call an ARRAY of housing :D
Apart from the cost and regulation, what's the point in making each house identical to the next one? I mean, in this particular context? i live in Belgium, country where individualism has always been praised, and here architects are often struggling to achieve differentiation of individual units even in huge massing plans... In Holland, Spain, France, UK, repetition wasn't a problem because of the social (and sometimes religious) background...

[Pedro Barradas]

Yes, long array...

Just to be sintectic Ryo...
12 houses= 1 project at full price + 11 at 15% :D

Houses must be selled at 640€ per m2, this price must include: plans, urbanization and infra-estrutures, the buildings, landscape, kitchen, hot heater sistem (we are going for solar), A/C pre-installation ( if we can manage that)....and they are only 12, the same but only 12...! the budget will be tight...very tight. :(

[Hotrats]

A really interesting approach to same house plot size (but avoiding repitition) is Borneo Sporenberg in Amsterdam. - West 8 masterplanned the scheme then got 100 different architects to design various houses all on the same plot size.

http://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/architecture/borneo_sporenburg.html

[ryo]

A really interesting approach to same house plot size (but avoiding repitition) is Borneo Sporenberg in Amsterdam. - West 8 masterplanned the scheme then got 100 different architects to design various houses all on the same plot size.

http://www.ivarhagendoorn.com/photos/architecture/borneo_sporenburg.html
Hotrats, I'm not sure the 'approach' is the same :D
In Holland (particularly at that time) THERE WAS LOT OF MONEY :rock on:
Not to mention these borneo houses are enerything but social housings! :no no no:

[spadestick]

yes! i agree, the Borneo Sporenberg one is a bad example, because each unit was done by a different architect! but the planning was pulled together by an architect.

[Marr]

Perhaps something simple could be done to create some variation without exceeding the budget. Offset the units at slightly different distance from the street could be one way. Color variation or using slightly different cladding material for the sun-louvres could be another.

[Hotrats]

Hotrats, I'm not sure the 'approach' is the same

Sure Ryo, I agree. I just thought it was an interesting example of what can be done in terms of variation when the parameters of plot size and shape are restrained.

I believe 30% of the houses are social housing though. :)

[sigue2000]

Perhaps something simple could be done to create some variation without exceeding the budget.

I agree. There are some good examples of this procedure in the Netherlands.
Check Neutelings Riedijk Architecten. Using the same window sizes but changing their position and direction in a virtual grid can quickly lead to good results without changing to estimate.

This is a project by Neutelings Riedijk on Sporenburg (Ertskade, J.F. van Hengelstraat) in Amsterdam. Not what i was talking about but also an approach to break monotony. There are three types of apartments in the complex.

[ryo]

I believe 30% of the houses are social housing though. :)
Oops. sorry hotrats :not worth

[sigue2000]

I think your house looks very promising by itself. :rock on: The thing now (IMHO) is to break that very rigid alignment.

[ryo]

i also think a very important concern of theses 'array blocks' architecture is 'how to manage the beginning and the end of the ensemble'...
I mean, even a sausage has a beginning and an end! If you cut a sausage everywhere between the two tips, every face will be identical (shape, color) but the sausage is perceived as a whole because of its tips! If your project has no end (or no beginning), it will be like a sausage cut in the middle: why does it end here, and not one, or two, or ten units further? There's no reason. But if you have a building which ends the array composition, then the blocks will be considered as a 'whole'...

I don't want to annoy you with that, Pedro, I understand that time and perhaps the client point of view are determining factors as well, but I'd like to share my point of view too :cheers:

One another explanation of the 'no ending' architecture is that this project is only the first phasis of a bigger urbanization...? And if the road is continued, then buildings too?! :wondering

[Pedro Barradas]

I must agree with you all about the rigid monotony and having a head and a ass on this "train", but again remember the constrains...
They are paying just one plan, without variations, only here, they save enough money for half a plot infra-struture...

This is not part of a major development, it's on the edge of the urban area, across the road we have light industrial area, around is only fields.

Near the round about, we try to finnish/start the sausage with the landscape, on the top end..., nothing, just the wall and the acess road.

The cadastral area, money and planning regulations are just enough for this approach. and for what we have nearby everibody is very happy, even the local authoritys, that consider this plan as valuable feature for the town.

[zenarcader]

The identical rows reminds me of the numerous apartments in Eastern Asia, such as Korea, China, and parts of Japan. The way they solve this problem is through intensive landscaping, and even different hues of colors for the the external finish materials. I'm going to see if I have some pictures from my trips and post it.

[dgoPull]

They are paying just one plan, without variations, only here, they save enough money for half a plot infra-struture...

the financial constraints really a deciding factor in this project,yeah?Pedro, yourself have suggested the high degree of rigidity and monotony in this project, IMHO as all other members might have suggested; it might be interesting to introduce little variation in material or even window penetrations.

maybe it worth a bit of sacrifice in this profession in time and workload to introduce better design. i wonder what do the other members thought too. they might just pay for one plan and you have provided one plan, if you did produce some variations and configuration for the whole lots. would it put too much pressure on the office costs and the livelihood of the ofice?

just my curiosity :wondering . pardon me if i offend you in any way. i am not judging or anything. here in indonesia, it's of the same case. mostly all identical building in arrays, :bang head :bang head imagine a bastard between classical and colonial architecture plus irresponsible imitations. :bang head :bang head maybe i could post some pictures later of some the bad architecture here [mostly social housing too]

[Mounib]

Nice design Pedro, under the situation and the conditions you've explained.

Here also one example from Netherlands , that do not necessarily to imply the systematic construction of the same type of house.

[Mounib]

Onther photo

[Pedro Barradas]

Thanks to all for the replies, sugestions and comments, I'll speaak with my associated, make her read your posts...

Probably one way to go around the monotony issue is to incorporate 4bedroom units randomly in the sausage and with that have some kinde of variations.

I would like o keep the same colour in the units, I belive is important to have colour connection. Or people may start calling the development the rainbow... :P

Let' see... what I can do...if possible better...

Office budget is always poor... :(

Below GE image, low res... soon I can, I'll post a picture of the site...

[ryo]

Probably one way to go around the monotony issue is to incorporate 4bedroom units randomly in the sausage and with that have some kinde of variations.

I would like o keep the same colour in the units, I belive is important to have colour connection. Or people may start calling the development the rainbow... :P

I Think you could play with variation in height of the acroterion wall above the last upper level, perhaps sometimes with a staircase 'box' giving access to terraceroof... This doesn't really change the plan, thus... :cheers:
And for the colour, I understand you want to keep the ensemble pure... :D

[sandropc]

Pedro, 640 Euros are about 800 dollars, this unit price per square meter in my country is for people of middle high to high incomes in your coutry is for economical social sector of population (that’s the life!), the houses look nice, can you post more in details the views?

Thanks,

[Pedro Barradas]

Pedro, 640 Euros are about 800 dollars, this unit price per square meter in my country is for people of middle high to high incomes in your coutry is for economical social sector of population (that’s the life!), the houses look nice, can you post more in details the views?

Thanks,

Yes, and probably in germany is about 1200€... :eek:
Direct construction costs here varies betewen 450€ to 1000€, depending on building specs... Usually the standard is about 500€.
I this case the direct construction cost, must be at the most 400€+ 10000€ per plot for infra-structures :o

But this value includes, as I mentioned, Land, Infra-structures (roads, telecom, Electric; public lamps, landscape, plans, houses.
In this case is not a public development, but a cooperative, were several families, together promotes the development, the State, in this case INH (Instituto Nacional da Habitação) controls the plans and investments, they don´t give any money, but authorize the advantage of reductions on several taxes and better conditions on loans, so is a controled building process...

[ryo]

Yes, and probably in germany is about 1200€...

But this value includes, as I mentioned, Land, Infra-structures (roads, telecom, Electric; public lamps, landscape, plans, houses.
In this case is not a public development, but a cooperative, were several families, together promotes the development, the State, in this case INH (Instituto Nacional da Habitação) controls the plans and investments, they don´t give any money, but authorize the advantage of reductions on several taxes and better conditions on loans , so is a controled building process...
this is very courageous!!! :cheers:

[Pedro Barradas]

Ryo, we will had some help from local authoritis, so is they own the land, and will give to the cooperativa.... ;)
I belive they will help with the landscape too... ;)

[Pedro Barradas]

Already have final versions of the houses, Type3 (3 bedrooms) and Type4 (4 bedrooms),
here are the su images- general - (don´t know yet, how many of each type- inquiry being made)

[Pedro Barradas]

3 bed model

[Pedro Barradas]

4 bed

[Pedro Barradas]

.

[Pedro Barradas]

..

[franjayo]

Pedro,

I understand this project, we need to discuss more of this which is the real day to day project we also have to deal with. Contractors complain if they have to mirror a plan just to give the project some diversity, imagine if you also rotate it or add section to some. It all goes down to money and they plan for the bare minimum. They also want to pay you just for the first unit and a fraction thereafter.

You say that the houses will hide the existing backyard. Some grey structures are shown. Are there existing uneven structures that need hiding? If the lot includes all the area back to the grey shelters, they are big. I guess that you place the house to leave as much land for cultivation as possible behind the houses.

The red roofs are paint? Tiles are costly. You mention that if the houses are painted different they may be called a rainbow, that may be good. We have an example in the south of the island where the architect designed row houses and painted each a bright different color, they call them the "Crayola" houses, and they were very successful. I have also tried to solve the problem of having different colors in each connected house by building a wall of a neutral color or material between each unit.

The other issue is that once these units are built, each person starts to build and change them to suit their taste. It has happened to all architects, it is a natural thing that we have to somehow work with and incorporate in the process. This is why I say that design is a never ending process. Buildings are like living things ever growing and changing or they just become obsolete and are torn down.

[franjayo]

Now that you posted the plans, I find them very intersting. I like the kitchen area very much, it will probably be a very functional and lively living area connected to the patio.

[Pedro Barradas]

franjayo,
the roofs will be made in metal or eventually in coloured fiberciment.
The flat areas on roof, will be tiled with natural ceramic tiles.

Still have to investigate the colour issue. this houses will be sold for about 85000€, including building, land (they cannot sell for at least 5 years).

[Juan Gomez-Velez]

Pedro

This is an exceptional effort; to mix and match so many different requirements, by so many divergent interests is extremely difficult. To have done so successfully, with a high quality design made with painstaking care of details, buildability and functional efficiency, is remarkable. I congratulate you on a job so well done.

In PPB1 I posted a project targeted at low income families that sparked a lively discussion, more or less on the same terms yours has done, that of the rigidity of the layout, the seemingly monotonous repetition of the facades and things of that nature. This was graphically commented by many generous forum members, from whose contributions I learned much. Your proposal is much more interesting and is more likely to be valued and appreciated by the end users. As Fransisco said, most homeowners will seek to personalize their residences, that variety will probably be as enrichening to the overall project, as it will be unpredictable.

Some comments and questions as of your floor plan, first, your placement of the kitchen at the middle is intriguing, there it has the opportunity of opening up at either side to a patio and could experience an expansion (by means of a fabric awning or a pergola) towards each. Did you ever consider the possibility of placing your living area there?

On the other hand the four-bedroom alternate provides for an extension of both structural walls, as well as an additional floor slab right over this kitchen/dining. Could you have made this area of the three-bedroom plan have a cathedral ceiling? It’s right next to your staircase and the possibility of experiencing the space while you use the stairs is appealing

Please update this projects’ progress as it goes along. We can learn a great deal from each other’s experiences, particularly from projects as well thought out as yours.

Saludos

Juan

[Mr Sparkle]

Project
12 Social/ economic houses - 3 bedroom type.

Location
Alvalade sado - Portugal

Design Parameters
Reconversion of village entrance/ planning and construction of 12 house according to social housing regulations and constrains.

Design Approach
A new train of houses, hiding the existing backyards, new look for the main road that extends across the house stripe.

Plans will be available soon, below is the panel with the proposed image for the area.


are you familiar with the work teddy cruz (http://www.california-architects.com/content/profiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile&architect=2416&lang=e) has been doing in San Diego?
you might like it, and find it useful.

[Pedro Barradas]

Thanx for tour comments Juan, I'll keep you guys updated...
Thanks for the link Sparkle....