low cost housing thesis project

Low-cost housing for developing countries: an analysis of the design process

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The subsequent data, analysis and case study is an attempt to clarify architectural approaches to meeting housing shortages in developing nations. This thesis is directed towards providing a greater understanding of the Third World building environment by examining unforeseen constraints, design parameters and the architect's new role vis-a-vis housing design for developing countries, as well as design approaches and strategies related to the housing problem in the developing world. These aspects of low-cost housing design in developing nations have been distilled into a process of design which is intended to further define a direction an architect can pursue in order to arrive at a feasible design solution regarding low-cost housing in developing countries. As a conclusion, the thesis provides a frame of reference to the previous analysis with a case study of the Dominican Republic, describing the country itself, its housing problem and some design proposals put forward by regional architects as a part of an international seminar on housing sponsored by the Dominican housing organization, CII-VIVIENDAS.

Chapters one, two and three approach the topic of low-cost housing in developing countries as an analysis of the broadest architectural considerations.

Chapter one, "Design Constraints for Low-Cost Housing in Developing Countries" introduces the initial design considerations of building conditions in the developing world from the perspective of an architect trained in the construction practices of the more advanced industrial nations. In comparison to the conventional architectural environment of the developed nations, the limited construction resources of developing nations constitute severe building constraints. These constraints are examined.

Chapter two, "Summary of Design Parameters for Developing Countries" derives design guidelines from the architectural constraints of chapter one.

Chapter three. "Housing Design for Developing Countries: New Architectural Roles, New Design Approaches & New Design Process" supplements the analysis of the first two chapters with a review of current architects' design responses to the rigid building parameters inherent in low-cost housing design for developing countries.

Chapter four, "A Case Study of the Dominican Republic: Country & Housing Characteristics" provides a frame of reference for the previous analysis with information concerning the country, the architectural influences and the housing data of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic suffers from housing problems typical to most developing countries.

Chapter five. "Dominican Low-Cost Housing Seminar: Possible Low-Cost Housing Solutions for the Dominican Republic" concludes the thesis with a synthesis of the analysis and the case study. The synthesis is presented in terms of the diverse solutions to the housing shortage of the Dominican Republic reached by the participants of a low-cost housing seminar in the Dominican Republic. The seminar held in the winter of 1985 included foreign participants from both developed and developing countries in addition to the native Dominican participants. The design options described at the conclusion of chapter five are reflective of the current paths of low-cost housing development.

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The Urban Vernacular: A low-cost incremental housing development in the Philippines

This study investigates adaptable housing design as a solution to informal settlements’ issues, including the threat of rapid urbanisation and displacement due to eviction, flooding, and an array of man-made destruction. This study aims to identify design processes and solutions that support and prioritise the housing and community needs of lower-income demographics so they may live safe and healthy lives empowered by adaptable design and construction processes that put them in control of the development and progress of their living environments. This exploration will be grounded in the informal settlements of Baseco, Manila in the Philippines, one of the most densely populated in the country, where urban regeneration has been prominent over the past few years. This study will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative design research methods. This research will use quantitative data in the earlier phases of data collection to build an accurate context as a basis for exploration and understanding. Ethnographic studies will inform design phases through secondary sources supported by simulations and models. This investigation aims to contribute to the discussion of urban regeneration and solving informal housing issues in-situ to keep existing social networks intact rather than relocation. This process will begin through an adaptable building design inspired by the incrementalism of informal construction, argued as a form of urban vernacular. This paper indicates that low-income communities are reactive rather than proactive in responding to vulnerabilities. The design solution aims to be a catalyst in fostering a more proactive approach to risk-mitigation strategies and empowering communities through safer living conditions that prevent displacement that destroy networks of social connection.

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• Architectural science and technology
• Architecture management
• Architectural design

Bringing rich technical talent and experience to bear on the persistent and emerging challenges of the developing world.

Low-cost, earthquake-resilient housing using confined masonry.

PROJECT DETAILS

• Focus Area Housing Past
• Faculty Aditya Barve
• Faculty John Ochsendorf
• Fellow Chris Porst

More than 50% of India’s land area is prone to damaging earthquakes and the vast majority of buildings housing the lower income and economically weaker populations are not structurally adequate to withstand such events. This research seeks to develop an alternative housing solution more suitable for the Indian context. Currently the predominant home construction typologies are unreinforced masonry and reinforced concrete (RCC) frames with masonry infill. Confined masonry is an alternative which combines the aspirational qualities of these typologies with a more reliable structural system. Furthermore, confined masonry uses less steel and concrete than a proper RCC frame and hence costs less. This structure looks quite similar to a RCC frame when completed but it transfers seismic loads to the ground in a way that engages the full wall, greatly reducing the stress on the concrete members. Confined masonry construction is practiced widely in South America and some Asian countries, but is still foreign to Indian builders and engineers.

People in Centre (PiC) is an Ahmedabad-based architecture firm that operates solely in the realm of disaster relief and prevention. This research is providing structural analysis and recommendations help PiC promote confined masonry for their work on a federal housing project. This project will provide homes to beneficiaries throughout Gujarat, a highly seismic region of India, with structural integrity as a main criteria.

The current research also seeks to explore analytical modeling of alternative structural components, such as concrete reinforcement to improve the constructability of confined masonry and help empower local artisans with the capability to build a seismically resilient home.

IMPACT:  Results from this research have been incorporated into the building code of the state of Gujarat, India.

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THESIS: Confined masonry for seismically resilient low-cost housing in India : a design and analysis method (Christopher Porst)

Low Cost, Earthquake Resilient Housing: Confined Masonry

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Low-income housing : alternative strategies for building construction and project control

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STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF LOW COST HOUSING BASED ON CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

This paper addresses the approach to minimize the cost of house and it give affordability to the people now days .the basic principle behind this is to reduce cost of project by reducing duration of project and using different techniques which helps to reduce cost of project without losing quality. There are three factors which affect the cost of housing i.e. time,material used and techniques. The selection of building materials should meet the needs of local conditionsa field study was carried out in pune city, comparison is carried out with the help of persons such as engineers in mhada,jnnurm, housing who are involved in construction of low cost housing. For achieving the low cost, perfect technique is required in this paper the use of perfect techniques and comparison between different techniques is discussed for cost control and reduction.

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Indian Journal of Applied Research

Civil Department

IJSTE - International Journal of Science Technology and Engineering

Housing is the major sector of urban infrastructure. Government of India has launched the scheme " Housing for All by 2022 " for urban areas. To achieve this goal Government is providing subsidy to the urban poor upto Rs. 1 lakh per house which causes huge burden over the country's economy. Despite urban houses are not affordable to the poor due to escalating land & construction cost. This scenario can be improved if the land or construction cost can be reduced to some extent without compromising with the quality of structure. Low cost housing offers the use of various low cost material & technique which reduces the overall cost of construction. In this paper an attempt is made to review the various researches on low cost housing material & techniques which can be used for both rural and urban areas according to their suitability in different conditions.

International Journal of Constructive Research in Civil Engineering (IJCRCE) ISSN 2454-8693 (Online)

Prof. (Dr.) Jayeshkumar Pitroda

This research paper aims to study the urban housing problem in India and provide a solution to overcome this. It tries to identify that how can we transfer rural area into urban area and cater the housing needs for below poverty level (BPL) people by providing low cost housing construction techniques which will be economical, fast and better in quality. The article analyses different construction techniques which will be fast and low in cost. It also analyses the different stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities and the user group. Based on the learnings, the research paper tries to propose a accessible and sustainable model to alleviate the housing needs problem.

nitin saxena

Housing is the most required development to build a nation developed. In India most of the population in urban as well as in rural areas still required a better shelters or houses for accommodation with better living environment including with all amenities , social , cultural , healthy , safe , hygienic , spacious , pollution free , climatically comfortable , eco-friendly and affordable houses. The economic weaker section can't afford the housing cost in present conditions. Government of India support needy people by funds, and also provides subsidized affordable houses by developing many policies and projects in this direction. This paper aims towards the study of effective housing demand , current patterns of development and finding the Innovative Contraction techniques , Materials (local and eco friendly) , Planning and designing methods , to make the solution. With the help of techniques of construction, Planning, and use of local and sustainable material , the Cost effective housing can be developed in less time and in budget .

sawsan rasheed

A housing problem of the problems facing the countries, especially the developing countries. It is essential to provide housing units at the level commensurate with the rapid population growth. Many countries have applied structural policies to confront this problem by relying on the available material and human resources to provide as many housing units to occupy by those who do not have good housing for shelter. This research targeted the field of affordable housing units in general and the impact of use Structural innovative system in particular, and the impact of the implementation of the new system on the cost and Duration of time needed to accomplish. In order to reach the aim of the research was take advantage of previous research and studies in the field of implementation of housing units by insulated concrete forms technique shorten to (ICF) technique and adopt this technique for the implementation of residential complexes. The research reached to propose a new technique for the construction of housing units by the construction of a typical residential house at the headquarters of the General Authority for Housing using the proposed technique. An economic comparison was conducted between the proposed system for construction and traditional commonly used building systems of massive wall system and frame wall system. It has been found that the proposed system is better than commonly used alternatives to an economic life of 33 years,

Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education

nikita nanaware

IJSRD - International Journal for Scientific Research and Development

Shelter is amongst the three basic human needs but now-a-days, about two-third of the total Indian population does not have their own shelter. This two-third population belongs to the middle and lower income class. These people find it difficult to construct their houses at an affordable cost by using conventional construction technology. It is found in many cases that people serve their whole life constructing their own house, but fail. The mission and dream of these people can be achieved by appropriate use of cost effective and innovative construction technology. As a whole, the housing shortage of the country can be overcome within lesser funds, without compromising with the quality control and structural stability of the structure. Note: This technology is only applicable for single or two storied buildings and can be applied in most of the soil and climatic conditions.

Adequate shelter for all people is one of the crucial challenges faced by the developing countries like India. In India by 2013, shortage of 30 million homes with almost 99% of the shortfall coming from families earning less than 2 lakhs rupees per year (EWS & LIG segment). According to census 2011 India has 65 million of slum population and by 2017 it will outreach 104 million. The country had a population of 1210.98 million, out of which 377.10(31.16%) lives in urban areas. This growing concentration of people in urban areas has led to problems of land shortage, housing shortfall and has also several basic amenities such as water, power and open spaces of towns and cities. Urbanization has resulted in people increasingly living in slums and squatter settlements and has deteriorated the housing conditions of the economically weaker section of society. This is primarily due to skyrocketing prices of land and real estate in urban areas that have forced the poor and economically weaker section of the society to occupy the marginal lands typified by poor housing stock, congestion and obsolescence. Considering these factors there currently exists a wide gap between the demand and supply of housing (both in terms of quantity and quality) in urban areas. Hence, it has become a necessity for developing country like India to adopt cost effective, innovative housing for the construction of houses for enabling the people to construct houses at affordable cost. Our project aims to reduce the cost of building by replacing ordinary material with latest one and suggest new methodology which will reduce cost as well as do not affect the strength of the structure.

Alexander Decker

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10 Examples of Low cost housing

In the present scenario, low-cost construction is synonymous with architecture for the poor. Although many tried replacing low cost housing with the term affordable housing, this misconception has never changed over the years. Low specification and simple architecture fail to captivate the eyes of the middle-income and high-income groups, overpowered by their love for extravagance and to keep with their social standing. As architect Laurie Baker rightfully said “ Cost-effective houses are not just for the poor, they are for everyone “, a change in such a notion is a necessity in our society and convincing the middle and upper-class of the importance of simple living and equity.

1. S-House — Vo Trong Nghia Architects | Low cost housing

Located in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, this house is an example of low-cost construction within a budget of 4000 US dollars and a limited area of 30 square meters. The main aim of building a lightweight but permanent structure was of utmost importance for the people living nearby in cheap, temporary houses. Thus, the architect came up with three prototypes with the third one under construction. The first phase comprises a steel-framed structure with nipa palm panels installed as walls. The second phase involves DIY and modular construction using a concrete framed structure with self attachable panels, creating a double wall that provides thermal comfort from the tropical climate.

2. Villa Verde — Alejandro Aravena 

Architect Alejandro Aravena proposed an interesting concept for “half a good house”, that is executing an incomplete big house instead of a completed small house , thus cutting down the cost of a building by half. Based on the philosophy of architect John F. C. Turner, who stated that housing if not an ongoing process results in squatting and huge housing deficits. The forestry company Arauco asked the architect’s help to produce a development plan for housing their workers in Chile after the earthquake disaster that killed over 80% of the buildings in the city. The houses appeared identical and positioned in a linear manner that forms a courtyard in the center, giving rise to a healthy community. 

3. Empower Shack — Urban Think Tank 

Designed at the time of Post-Apartheid South Africa for the residents of Cape Town, this housing system helped in solving the housing crisis faced due to escalating prices of property. The project aimed to provide a fair distribution of public land for over 2700 informal settlements enhanced by innovative methodology and provision of basic amenities. The buildings occupy a smaller footprint as compared to a typical slum with dense accommodation, thus using the land more efficiently and making the community members long term stakeholders. The scheme also benefits the community with livelihood workshops, renewable energy, and water management training programs.

4. Iha Residence — Vinu Daniel

This quiet abode in the busy city of Trivandrum in Kerala is a contradiction in itself by depicting serenity on the outside with an adventurous interior . The helical facade resembling a large hammock where the residents can be spotted seated also functions as a channel that diverts rainwater away from the house, thus protecting it from rain. The bamboo channels supported by steel rods for stability direct the water towards the soil, which is then harvested or recycled. Since window installation is costly, the use of jali work also provides an aesthetic appeal to the building. The walls make use of CSEB bricks (Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks), adhering to the principles of maintaining the natural color and texture as stated by Laurie Baker. 

5. Earth one vaulted house — Cal-Earth | Low cost housing

Built on superadobe, a construction technique invented by architect and humanitarian Nader Khalili, the Earth One Vaulted House is one of the most applicable prototypes following the layout of typical housing units found in California . Although the construction involves packing of a tube-shaped cloth bag filled with earth and reinforced using wire, this structure resists earthquake and other calamities with a mere wall thickness of 15 centimeters. The house has nine vaults that include three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two garages for cars within an area of 2300 square feet. The integration of standard technology into a superadobe structure makes this one of the most successful low-cost structures ever built.

6. Aranya Housing Project — B V Doshi

Built around labyrinths of paved internal pathways and parks, these housing units in Indore succeeded in developing a large community accommodating about 60,000 individuals in 6500 dwellings within an area of 85 hectares. Initially a slum area, architect B.V Doshi divided the site into six sectors with a central spine being the business district, cutting through the plot. The lowest income homes occupy the center of each zone with higher income homes in the periphery. Each house has a private courtyard and rooms with areas ranging from middle to low income built using locally available materials such as bricks and stones.

7. Chenkal Choola Housing — Laurie Baker

With over forty houses built on Gandhian principles by architect Laurie Baker, the Chenkalchoola Housing in Trivandrum derives its name from the red brick “ Chenkal ” obtained from this area previously the Thycaud Hill. Baker found beauty in the natural color and texture of the red bricks and kept away from plastering and painting it. Each house stands out from the other with the unique aspect being the bricked wall and cluster around a common area which adjoins to the main road.

Although a well-planned colony with houses built based on income groups, the place eventually became a hub for criminal activities with non-permissive sheds on the roadside caused by government negligence and poor maintenance.  

8. Post – Tsunami Housing — Shingeru Ban

The project proposed 100 houses over an area of 71 square meters for the Muslim fishing community in Tissamaharama in Sri Lanka, who lost everything during the Tsunami in 2004. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban aimed to design according to the tropical climate of Sri Lanka with a covered common area. Each house prototype includes two bedrooms, a hall and a sheltered courtyard used as a living/ dining space with wooden screens dividing the rooms to suit the Muslim lifestyle. Local rubber tree wood panels install themselves as partitions and compressed earth blocks for walls. The pitched roof also makes use of locally available materials such as coconut wood and teak. 

9. Casa Convento — Enrique Mora Alvardo

Sitting along the Ecuadorian coastline amid the picturesque landscape created by the large bamboo trees and rainforests and the small creek flowing through the plot, this house makes use of bamboo as it is locally available and fits the budget constraints of 1500 dollars. What makes this building stand out is the integration of family members with the laborers while learning various construction techniques. The building consists of three bedrooms, living, and service rooms. The service rooms include a kitchen and bathrooms, which connect with the living area forming a social space that opens into the outdoor and a hanging garden.

10. La Maison Au Bord De L’eau — Charlotte Perriand | Low cost housing

Design by Charlotte Perriand that one competition but never physically executed, it only came into notice when the director of Louis Vuitton Julie de Libran built this in 2014 to host a Design Miami exhibition. Although the context was Italy, the shipment to Miami had many pieces from the original missing. Being a part of the research team of Le Corbusier for over ten years, Perriand experimented with the theories on the structure. She applied “the Modulo” in the furniture and scaling of the structure, with chairs cut out from tree trunks to a minimal height. Two wings of the house connect into a semi-closed corridor having an entrance from the rear, with sliding doors separating the zones.

The concept of low-cost construction is new to the field of architecture and engineering, thus gaining widespread popularity mostly in a situation of a calamity. A roof over the head, being a basic necessity to humanity is the responsibility of an architect by providing an affordable solution of the shelter, without compromising on the structural stability and aesthetics. 

Gopika Pramod is an aspiring architect and writer whose thoughts are expressed as beautiful sketches in the readers' minds. She loves to bring a different perspective that is frequently seen but failed to observe and keeps her mind open to new ideas.

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Royal Oak OK’s controversial plan for low-cost apartments as residents rally against it

The debate continues across Michigan over "affordable housing": Where should there be more? And what should it look like?

This week, ground zero for the tussle was Royal Oak, where a posse of residents tried to stop low-cost apartments from going up near their homes. On Sunday, they marched with signs outside a vacant bank building on Rochester Road, just south of 14 Mile, chanting their opposition to seeing the site razed, rezoned and turned into 42 units of low-cost rentals.

One of the group’s leaders, Rudy Stuglin, said that he "wants the neighborhood to continue with one-story houses, not four-story buildings.” The area's housing stock is almost entirely single-story ranch houses built in the 1950s,  and zoned for single-family occupancy. The new apartment building would be nearly four stories high.

On Monday night, the same residents jammed a Royal Oak City Commission meeting. They spoke in sharp opposition to the project and brandished petitions with hundreds of signatures against it. Brian Herman, who lives two blocks east of the site, said he was shocked that commissioners were ignoring the wishes of homeowners who paid taxes. “We’re told that we don’t know what’s good for our neighborhood,” Herman said. Royal Oak's city commissioners “show extreme bias for the developer,” he said.

Project sails through despite petitions

The protesters had petitions with enough signatures to throw a challenge at the elected officials. To approve the apartments, the officials needed a two-thirds majority — that is, at least five of the seven commissioners. Yet, that was no challenge at all. Despite residents’ heated protests, the commissioners voted 7-0 in favor.

That outcome reflected a growing concern among government officials at every level — nation, state, county and community. Almost everywhere, decision makers say there's a need for more housing, mainly of the type deemed “affordable.” For the apartment project on Rochester Road, the site plan includes this slice of federal jargon: “The developer shall reserve no fewer than three dwellings for households earning no more than 80% of the average annual median household income for the Detroit-Warren-Livonia Metropolitan Area, as established by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.“

Translation? Some of the 42 units must be reserved for low-income residents. That prospect can be attractive to employers and urban planners. It was also appealing to the seven commissioners. They said that turning the abandoned bank building and its weedy, crumbling driveways into a new L-shaped apartment building, with a new parking lot and landscaping, would add inexpensive rental housing that Royal Oak badly needs.

A month earlier, the city’s planning board had voted 6-1 for the project. Its members studied the plan and liked it, Commissioner Sharlan Douglas said.

“I think this is a good project by a respectable developer. People want to live here” and new housing will fill that need, Douglas said. Commissioner Monica Hunt said she was encouraged that the project was not in Royal Oak’s busy downtown but instead in the city’s north end, where apartments are hard to find. “This is housing that our community desperately needs,” Hunt said. Mayor Michael Fournier echoed their words.

Housing the city 'desperately needs'

“If one of my kids grows up to be a letter carrier or a police officer and can’t find a place to live in our community, well then shame on us” for not approving projects of affordable housing, Fournier said.

As he has in the past, Fournier skirted the allegations of critics who said, during public comment, that Fournier received campaign donations from the development’s architect and from others who promoted the project. Trish Oliver, a 38-year resident of the city, said Fournier was supporting the plan only because he’d taken "special interest money.” Oliver said that Fournier, as well as Douglas, "paid back their obligations to those who gave them the money" by supporting certain projects such as the apartment plan.

Douglas did not address Oliver's statement. Fournier called the charges “baseless conspiracy theories” and “mudslinging,” in an email to the Free Press. In Royal Oak's 2023 city election, Oliver ran for mayor and drew 41.6% of the votes, losing to Fournier’s 58.2%. He has been mayor since 2016. Fournier said he was committed to offering low-cost housing in Royal Oak, which meant allowing renters to live near homeowners.

“I find it incredibly disheartening when I hear people refer to our neighbors who rent with disparaging remarks and less-than-subtle dog whistles,” he said, in his emailed statement to the Free Press. The neighborhood's intense opposition to the project “is not representative of Royal Oak, which is an overwhelmingly loving and welcoming community, and a handful of grossly misinformed people won't change that,” Fournier said.

Monday’s vote to approve the site plan included a zoning change from commercial to residential — more specifically, from “mixed-use” to “planned unit development,” according to Royal Oak’s zoning ordinance. The parcel faces busy Rochester Road although it backs up to the neighborhood of single-family homes. According to zoning experts, about 75% of the land area in American cities is zoned exclusively for single-family residences.

Shortage of affordable housing

“This restrictive zoning limits the variety of buildings that can be constructed and hinders the ability of low-income families to live in resource rich neighborhoods,” according to the website of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials in Washington, D.C. The problem is growing worse, as more Americans get priced out of affording the housing where they'd like to live, the organization says.

Its website goes on to say: “In 2021, home prices experienced an alarming growth rate of nearly 20 percent, and rents surged." More low-cost rental apartments are the answer, but 70% of residential areas in major cities restrict or even ban apartments, the organization says. Those statistics ring true for metro Detroit. In many areas, and in some entire suburbs of Detroit, single-family residential is the only type of housing allowed.

“Affordable” is the buzz word added to many discussions of the nation's housing shortage. That term stands in contrast to the luxury end of the market where, as with luxury cars, handbags and diamonds, there's no shortage of supply. In Oakland County alone, there's a need for at least 12,000 affordable housing units by the end of the decade, said Oakland County Commissioner Dave Woodward, D-Royal Oak.

Without more low-cost housing, “our new teachers, police officers, nurses, nursing home workers, child care workers and many other service-sector employees won’t be able to live within reasonable proximity of the jobs we need them to fill,” said Woodward, who chairs the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.

Woodward added: “Without these workers, our economy suffers for everyone."

Contact Bill Laytner:  [email protected]

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Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia