POTENTIAL FUTURE TYPOLOGIES OF SMALL HOUSES

Based on an analysis of the density and quality of open spaces in exisiting villages, this project proposes to rethink the current planning methods for rural areas:

• The proportion of private land to housing should be restricted, to maximise land-use efficiency.

• The permited development density should be increased in future village development areas to ensure the sustainability to 2047.

• Based on environmental assesment, the distance between buildings should be minimised, ensuring sunlight and views.

• A new planning approach should be developed to ensure function mixing in village communities.

Learning from international case studies of affordable social housing, more compact and mulit-storey apartment block typologies could be introduced to improve land-use efficiency, affordability and social interaction. Concentrated housing with rural qualities would help to free up land for community facilities and recreation.

This speculative design is based on Fan Tin village as an experimental location. Five different types of apartment blocks are placed in the developable area, forming compact urban cluster, varied street scapes and high quality public spaces with greening and recreational facilities. A small retail centre within walking distance of most hosuing helps to provide employment and affordable goods and services to improve everyday quality of life.

The experimental block typologies were developed through the idea of ‘stacking’ the Small House Policy types. Taller or larger blocks can help free up precious land for community parks, schools, retail and sports facilities.

Residential Block: The advantage of this type of block is that each household has a private courtyard with the best daylight. But there is no space for public facilities, and there is also wall street space.

Street Park Block: Each household has a garden, terrace or rooftop space and space is opened up for communal parks at the center streets, which can contain playgrounds, seating, etc.

Education Facility Block: The combination method shown here can free up 30% of the land for community facilities. This area can meet the space requirements of social infrastructure such as schools or tennis courts.

Commercial Block: This type of block not only has advantages of having mixed functions to support local employment and community vitality, but also has a variety of house types and better sunlighting.

Top View

Education facility block

FAR: 1.1

Building stories: 8 Function: Education+Residential

Top View

Residential block

FAR: 1.1 Building stories: 4 Function: Residential

Top View

Commercial block

FAR: 1.1

Building stories: 8 Function: Commercial+Residential

Top View

Street park block FAR: 1.1 Building stories: 4 Function: Park+Residential

These tests for the pedestrian experience at eye level show how new diversified public spaces could meet the everyday recreational and socialising needs of residents and improve their quality of life. The walking experience is improved, as active or open street frontages have replaced the walls and fences of private residences, creating a more open and social urban neighbourhood.

Village Urbanism

This section contains work by the following contributors

Jiang Kaiyuan Yue Junyu

Leung Kit Ying, Chloe Zhang Zhixing

Zuo Xuan