venice architecture biennale: alejandro aravena of elemental

elemental's housing solution by alejandro aravena
image © designboom

a housing subsidy is probably the biggest aid an underpriviliged family will receive from the government.
however, social housing today is more like buying cars than buying houses, decreasing the value of
these habitats. architect alejandro aravena of elemental presented his solution for emergency housing at the
biennale this year. the project deals with problems which affect society as a whole, using tools and procedures
specific to architecture to resolve these issues. elemental works to offer knowledge and tools to the community
so that they may work towards building a stronger foundation for themselves.

one of the biggest problems attached with the current situation of subsidized housing is that these communities
are not located in central area making it difficult for individuals to access jobs, markets, education, health and
recreation. land is scarce in urban city centers, thus making it more expensive to purchase. despite this,
elemental aims to concentrate more on the location of its housing rather than the size. given a defined set of
design conditions, the project aims to give these houses value over time, not just socially, but economically
so that one's home can become a sign of a family which has been able to get past just the 'survival' stage.

this solution looks at density without being crowded and involves the communities, with hopes of the city
becoming an efficient course of equality and inclusivity.


image © designboom


image © designboom


view of elemental's installation - view finders allow visitors to look at images of the various stages of the housing project
image © designboom


small model houses which were made at a community design workshop
image © designboom


image © designboom


construction of one of elemental's housing communities in chile


project by alejandro aravena of elemental
image © designboom

related
designboom's report on alejandro aravena at the milan triennale 2008

more

alejandro aravena: http://www.alejandroaravena.com
elemental: http://www.elementalchile.cl
venice architecture biennale: http://www.labiennale.org