New academic year 2023 2024 and brief at Diploma 8 in the AA
NEW FORMS FOR LIVING
The universal right to housing is under threat in large Mediterranean cities. Political instability in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region and the rising cost of living in Southern Europe have generated a socioeconomic crisis, resulting in a severe shortage of affordable housing. The situation has been exacerbated by a lack of policies and strategies from local municipalities, together with disengagement from the private sector. Economically vulnerable groups such as the young, the elderly and migrants have borne the brunt of these challenges, and are confronted with overpriced housing stock designed for nuclear family structures that do not meet their needs.
In response, DIP8 will develop new housing strategies and design solutions for inner-city areas with social networks, resources and opportunities in close proximity. Given the scarcity of resources and the escalating climate crisis, we will encourage the reuse of obsolete building stock rather than the development of greenfield sites. To do so, we will evaluate existing dormant or neglected buildings and seek ways to reconfigure them.
We will begin by analysing the typologies that exist within our chosen sites, using these insights to inform the development of new spatial arrangements. Our designs will negotiate the need for both shared and private space within each building, and we will place particular focus on transitional spaces between indoor and outdoor areas, such as staircases, thresholds, corridors, entrances, windows, doors, balconies and terraces. We will identify local material techniques that can reduce emissions and the environmental impact of our interventions in each specific context. Through this, the unit will generate a set of architectural proposals that encourage new forms of living within existing buildings.
