As the COVID-19 global pandemic has unfolded over the last several months, stories of people cooped up in crowded cities and concerned about their future have anecdotally popped up across the internet. When the virus first arrived, it was common for people to escape to their beach-side homes, or to return to their parent’s house for more space and a sprawling yard.
Waugh Thistleton Architects or WTA has won an international design competition in collaboration with In Praise of Shadows and Land Arkitektur, to deliver the new head office of Gotlandshem, the national housing association of the Swedish island of Gotland in Visby, Sweden. The project, low carbon, and low impact building will be a multifunctional place, providing a healthy hub for businesses, accessible by the whole community.
City officials in Barcelona have found an incentive to help increase the city’s available rental housing units. Authorities are threatening to forcefully buy empty properties to create more affordable housing if landlords don’t manage to fill their vacant rental assets within a certain time frame.
.jpg?1593664464&format=webp&width=640&height=580)
The issue of the housing deficit plagues virtually all countries today. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, 330 million urban families worldwide lack decent housing, or housing costs are so heavy that they need to forgo other basic needs such as food, heath care, and education for children. According to the WRI (World Resources Institute), it is estimated that 1.6 billion people will lack adequate housing by the year 2025.
Solving this problem is, understandably, complex. Having good housing means much more than simply having a roof over your head. Good housing is essential for physical and financial security, economic productivity, and human well-being. In addition to adequate comfort, it is essential that these houses are integrated with the city, jobs, infrastructure, and city services. For people living on the street, this issue is even more delicate. Among many other necessities, having a place to structure a life is essential to moving forward and prospering. One project that confronts this issue is Emerald Village Eugene (EVE), an affordable micro-housing community with a unique housing model structured to enable residents to transition from the streets.
.jpg?1594177525 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594176859 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594177016 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594177165 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594164550 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594164006)
.jpg?1594164890 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1594165281 "© Cristiano Bauce")
.jpg?1593664852 "© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG")
.jpg?1593664477 "© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG")
.jpg?1593665178 "© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG")
.jpg?1593664464)
