Almada Housing Plot C - Icaro / MASSLAB. Image Courtesy of MASSLAB
In every city, urban housing projects represent most of the built environments, reflecting an intricate weave of societal needs and architectural visions. This roundup of unbuilt projects submitted by the ArchDaily Community offers a lens into the dynamic interplay between design constraints and creative opportunities. From the revitalization of urban fragments to the exploration of innovative construction methods, architects navigate a terrain shaped by sustainability imperatives, community inclusivity, and evolving urban dynamics.
The diversity of unbuilt urban housing projects showcased here underscores the breadth of architectural interventions, featuring commitments to sustainability and inclusivity. From projects featuring new building materials such as wooden construction systems to those created to maximize sunlight or engage the larger community, this week’s curated selection showcases unbuilt collective housing projects from around the world.
Paris MayorAnne Hidalgo has been awarded the 2023 ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, one of the most respected honors in global land use and community development. The honor comes in recognition of Mayor Hidalgo’s vision for a more inclusive and sustainable Paris and the global impact of her policies. Hidalgo, the first female Mayor of Paris, is credited with advancing ambitious policies that have reduced Paris’ carbon emissions by 40% in ten years and have increased the percentage of affordable housing. Hidalgo has also been named among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020.
Designed by Powerhouse Company, the BaanTower has started construction in the remodeled Baan Quarter neighborhood of Rotterdam. The residential tower strives to promote a sustainable architecture based on the well-being of its residents. Upon completion, the high-rise will house 427 apartments available for rent. Seven years after the original draft, the project has recently received its building permit, and is expected to be completed by 2026.
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Concept Renders. Image Courtesy of ICON Build
Pioneer in large-scale 3D printing, ICON announced the construction of a 3D-printed 100-Home Community co-designed by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and developed by Lennar. Located north of Austin, in the city of Georgetown, "The Genesis Collection at Wolf Ranch" will become the first and largest house estate in the world built by a fleet of robots integrating additive construction techniques.
Combining the digital possibilities of 3d printing with sustainable features at an affordable price, the project aims to support the housing crisis in Austin, one of the U.S.A's most dynamic and growing cities, home to the new Tesla Gigafactory and other giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Oracle.
URB has unveiled plans to develop Africa's most sustainable city, a development that can host 150,000 residents. Known as The Parks, the city plans to produce 100% of its energy, water & food on-site through biodomes, solar-powered air-to-water generators, and biogas production. The 1,700-hectare project will feature residential, medical, ecotourism, and educational hubs to become one of the significant contributors to the growing green and tech economy in South Africa.
The U.S. housing shortage is most severe on the more affordable side of the market. At a time when costs are escalating broadly and homes that were recently attainable by many have moved out of reach of most, this is no surprise. The problem is most acute in the heated markets, of course, where affordability mandates and rent controls seek to retain rental affordability for some, as owning a home in such markets is a dream accessible only to the wealthiest. (No measures in this post have any impact on these markets.)
Handel Architects designed the third tallest in Los Angeles, a 63-story high-rise 265 meters high in the Historical Downtown L.A. Featuring a 150 meters second tower, affordable residential housing, and community spaces, the "Angels Landing" will be the largest and tallest development to be built by Black developers in the United States, marking a milestone in the real estate industry, as in L.A.'s skyline. In partnership with The Peebles Corporation and MacFarlane Partners, the complex is scheduled to open in 2027 and will create more than 8,300 new jobs during construction.
Studio Gang's founder, Jeanne Gang, is the winner of the 2022 ULI Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, the most prestigious and respected honor in the real estate, land use, and development community. From museums and skyscrapers, including the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the St. Regis Tower in Chicago, Gang has demonstrated her work in creating and implementing better practices in sustainable reuse, ecological biodiversity, and social equity. Gang, the first woman architect to get the prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, joins the ULI laureates list along with Alejandro Aravena, Richard Rogers, and Vincent Scully.
Almost a century ago, the world was introduced to a new architectural typology that changed the entire construction industry. Starting off with the Home Insurance Building in 1885, leading to the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings in Manhattan, skyscrapers became a symbol of power and financial abundance. Soon enough, they were being constructed in almost every city across the world with state-of-the-art designs that defy engineering norms. But with all the changes taking place in the architecture practice, what does the future hold for these heavily criticized yet constantly developed buildings?
Bird-eye view of Dragon Tower. Image Courtesy of Dewan Architects + Engineers
The Dragon Tower in Hanoi by Dewan Architects + Engineers in collaboration with TTA, is the winner of the Global Design & Architecture Design Awards 2022 in the Mix-Used category; the tower is projected to transform Vietnam's landmark. Designed to be the longest building in the world, the 700.000 square meters complex will provide ministerial lobbies, meeting rooms, and public spaces, including a nursery, library, supermarket, restaurants, and a learning center. A water reservoir and green terraces are incorporated into the design to increase the building's efficiency and accessibility.
The new apartment complex designed by Venhoeven CS and DS Landschapsarchitecten is characterized by the intention to stimulate biodiversity. Located on a four-acre plot in the Sluisbuurt on the Zeeburgereiland in Amsterdam, the complex will include 82 homes, a parking garage, and spaces for shops and businesses. The nature-inclusive project pays special attention to the design of green roofs, terraces, and facades to create micro-environments for local flora and fauna and to optimize energy consumption.
KCAP Architects and Planners have unveiled the ZIL-Southmasterplan, a new residential district in Moscow built on the basis of a 15-minute city. The masterplan will be built on the largest brownfield area of the former ZIL industrial zone, and will feature more than 100 hectares of commercial and residential landmarks, public spaces, parks, landscapes, and interconnect routes alongside the Moskva River, all inspired by the area's pre-industrial past.
Safdie Architects have released the images of 'ORCA Toronto', a mixed-use urban development with an integrated park in the heart of downtown Toronto. The project covers 6.5 hectares (65,000 sqm) west of the CN Tower, 4.5 hectares (45,000 sqm) of which are dedicated to the publicly-accessible urban park, while 2 hectares (20,000 sqm) are for residential, commercial, retail, and transit facilities. The proposed project reconnects the downtown area to the city’s waterfront, promising to become a vital hub that animates the underutilized parts of the city.
Focusing on the different typologies of houses, this week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights conceptual projects submitted by the ArchDaily Community. From urban developments to tiny homes, this article explores the topic of residential architecture and presents approaches from all over the world.
Featuring a cabin amidst the verdant forested region of northern Iran, a development in Georgia that offers an 80% recreational space to 20% housing ratio, and a project in Paris that re-questions our urban reality, and rethinks traditional forms of housing, this roundup tackles a multitude of scales. In addition, it underlines a collection of beach houses in Greece, Italy, Argentina, and Latvia each responding to a different landscape and topography. Other ideas underlined include the renovation of existing developments in Moscow, a residential-led transformation of a former factory in Manchester, and a family of blocks grouped around an elevated communal garden in the Netherlands.
Along with the municipality of Larvik, Mad Arkitekter has proposed new development plans for Martineåsen, a future new district west of Larvik City Center. The project celebrates the natural context of the site while creating a small-town community with all required amenities, within walking distance.
Where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, a pivotal node in Chicago’s cityscape, bKL Architecture has designed three towers along the waterfront, which connect the natural elements of the landscape with the urban center and neighboring communities.
The urban development is located at a prominent junction utilized by both pedestrians and automobiles; the site’s new master plan separates the two, providing seamless integration between the active green space surrounding bLK’s three towers and the lakefront.
The RIBA's ‘Ten Characteristics of Places Where People Want to Live’ combines a series of case studies that illustrate components of contemporary community housing design. This study was completed to identify and analyze specific, successful elements of past projects that can be easily incorporated into future projects not only in England but also internationally.
The study hopes to demonstrate to its readers the relationship between design quality and the rate of supply in the delivery of much needed well-built affordable housing. Each building example illustrates how appealing and successful design can be easily replicated.
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_KCAP_4_Urban_Gardens.jpg?1638353099 "Courtesy of KCAP")
_KCAP_6_Business_Quarters.jpg?1638353124 "Courtesy of KCAP")
_KCAP_5_River_Quarters.jpg?1638353058 "Courtesy of KCAP")
_KCAP_9_Pedestrian_Boulevard.jpg?1638353251 "Courtesy of KCAP")
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