The aim of this project is to provide affordable housing for three different generations (seniors, families in need, young adults). Applying the old principle of a multigenerational house on a bigger scale will create an opportunity to connect people through activities and space.
The main three principles of the project are: reusing, producing and sharing.
Local
Poland
Starachowice - a city in southeaster Poland. It has a population of 49 513 inhabitants.
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Currently, we can see how the issue of affordable housing is spreading around the globe. More and more people of different ages are struggling with paying their rent or maintaining their own property. Along with financial issues in the building industry, we are facing intense climate changes and social inequalities.
The aim of this project is to deal with these issues by designing affordable multigenerational housing. Starting with the spatial organization of the site and finishing with the layout of the apartments, this project will meet the needs of all inhabitants (from the youngest one to the oldest). Along with the space design, it is also important to design their time and activities.
This project follows three main principles of a sustainable community: producing, reusing and sharing.
Affordability
Sustainability
Housing
Revitalisation
Community
An automatic action for sustainability appears when we create a common living space.
Sharing, producing, and reusing should become the main strategy for designing a sustainable community. The responsibility of the inhabitants plays a significant role. By involving them wildly in the running process of the building we can reduce the waste of water, electricity and other natural resources. Having the same responsibility for common areas as for private ones will raise awareness of the human impact on the environment. Co-housing creates a collaborative community. Housing design takes into consideration the use not only of common space but also common facilities. Sharing cars, bikes and providing logistical connections with the area will reduce the carbon footprint of the inhabitants over time. A sustainable residential building/complex/region also includes co-producing. Depending on the interests of the inhabitants and their skills, a range of services could be given to the citizens. The same strategy will give a financial benefit for building maintenance.
One of the goals of this project is to create a place to bring together people of different ages so that everyone brings their help, their knowledge, and their history to share and create a social bond within this community. Old people find themselves less alone and can get closer to their families, single parents can find help to look after their children and several exchanges and services can take shape.
The design of separated blocks of buildings creates a disconnection between the residents of each building which may further isolate residents from one another. To ensure the creation of a community, we have to keep a continuing narrative between private spaces and common spaces. Meanwhile, shared spaces must provide opportunities for socialization, exercise and outdoor games.
To encourage the synergy between the oldest and the youngest generations, the building must be provided with different types of spaces depending on the level of privacy and the activities that are designed for. Living together should be an option, not an obligation, so we must ensure that everybody has a “solitary space” in their own house.
Other spaces should be “neighbor spaces”, these spaces are where the synergy between the different generational groups occurs. They are designed to encourage different activities in which they can help each other. Another type of space is the “natural space”. These areas are more polyvalent in terms of privacy, they can be private and public at the same time, depending on the activity that is being released. The main point of these spaces is that everybody should be able to enjoy nature.
The current housing system faces problems with the increasing prices. This factor raises the number of people that can not afford owning a private living unit. As a result, a strategy for creating a more affordable architecture should be implemented for future projects.
In the current project the overall price could be reduced through the design process. This can be done by using less expensive and sustainable materials, implementing already standing buildings (such as the abandoned school in Starachowice) and creating communal ownership for our housing (social housing). Also this project takes into account the collaboration of the inhabitants in the final product, strengthening their community and enhancing the sustainability of the project this way. We should try to stick to sustainable materials that would be easy enough to maintain and reuse as much as we can. Specifically in this project, the only change that was made in the external design of the building was the color of the walls. The existing stone on the facades was kept to preserve the local identity of the building. These actions will also help to decrease the final cost of the renovation.
Not only the inhabitants of the building will be involved in the local social life. By creating a local market place we can bring the citizens of Starachowice to the site and create a connection with the multigenerational community. After the planning process, it was decided to create an indoor marketplace where an indoor gym used to be. Here people from the town (craftsmen/farmers) could come and sell their own products. Moreover, it will increase awareness of the importance of self-production.
Since Starachowice already has an experience with affordable housing, the local administration is actively involved in this topic. The city has a few abandoned buildings that could be renovated into social housing (hospital, school, train station). Also, there are local factories that can offer citizens job opportunities and keep the young generation in their hometown. The only issue that makes them move out is the high prices for rent.
This project reflects the economical, ecological and social aspects of every society. By combining these three branches into one project, it was possible to create a sustainable community and increase the life quality of the inhabitants. Providing an affordable living unit for young adults or parents will give them an opportunity to focus on their personal needs more. Designing common spaces for different activities will reduce the feeling of loneliness among seniors and increase the social skills of the young generations. Giving a chance to produce and sell local products will contribute to the development of the local economy.
This project combines many aspects of a successful housing policy that existed before mainly in a separate way. It includes sustainable, social and affordable aspects. Here the inhabitants are connected through generations, activities and lifestyles. They can produce, educate, share, save, enjoy their life fully.
This project was made on a specific site in Poland but can be implemented as a general strategy for any other location. Affordable housing and sustainable community need every city, town or village. However, it is important to keep in mind the local aspects of every new location. There can be the same instruction for the project while using different tools.
The concept of the project faces the issue of affordable housing on a local level. Social housing is not a new branch of architecture. However, the need for it gets more and more visible in our cities.
