smallprojects

low cost

Low cost. The poor man's dream, an architect's nemesis, deemed a necessary blight by high society, a developer's responsibility by requirement, universally needed, universally ugly; low cost housing is the single most challenging proposition to emerge from the industry of building. The problem is not through a lack of can do. It is not an issue of technology, nor does it pose a conundrum to construction, execution or issues of legality. The issue here is that low cost takes money with no returns. No profit margin. No break-even. Nothing. It is for this reason that low cost development has been honed to ensure that the absolute minimum is spent on its construction. The economics of low cost construction in the Third World is a matrix so tight, there have been virtually no breakthroughs with creative solutions in the last decade; or perhaps ever. Every square foot is hard ruled through parameters so strict, one could nail the exact number of walls, doors and windows to the degree of ventilation required by law. It is architecture's ultimate challenge: a low cost repetitive module of spatial elegance and grace.

I propose a competition for low cost housing, one that will bring the world's finest together in a challenge none will have ever faced. The solution would have to be gracious, illuminating, spacious and hip. The solution would have to be cheap. Capital C. And the prize would be worth more than any have ever competed for or ever won: the opportunity to bring design into the lives of the other ninety-seven percent of the world whom architects rarely ever build for.

context

bedframe

steel entry mat

gardenshell house

system shelves

slat door

monsoon mailbox

louvrebox house

commentary

gardenwall offices

timberblind door

a/c jacket

middleearth door

lightwell house

posttensioned stair

dining table #3

biography

gardenshade shed

onion valet

britishindia offices

archiebunker chair

folding gate

bathshelf #2

bibliography

safari roof house

timber table

brickwall house

dishrack

autopsy table

folded stair

photography

contact

boardformed pool

ventblock house

steeltable

pittsburgh desk

dogconcrete house

kitchenjockey

wallpantry

bricklite house

poolplinths

gardengate

black and white house

cantilevered gate

mule system workstation

bathvalet

sibu pavilion

scrapwood pool

concretecarpet stair

fire stairfence

loftoffice

perforated bench

radiator railing

pivotgate

boardformed house

steel & white bath

brickroom

forestgrove

barnstorm house

dropbench

gnarly house

Kvadrat chaise

stacked club

mountain pool

greensplice house

threshold house

gainer mailbox