Architecture

THE ARCHITECTURE

As the Harvard graduates Aravena and Iacobelli (2016: 14) noted: “any of us in a middle-class family

can live reasonably well in a house of between seventy and eighty squared metres,” thus, modelling the

parallel building on a typical complete middle-class home. Yet the initial dwelling, prior to expansion, for

the Quinta Monroy residents is, thirty-two squared metres. Each unit consists of two dwellings . One ground

floor house with the ability to expand from the initial six squared metres to nine squared metres. One ‘duplex’ second floor apartment, of what had perceived to be another six squared metres but, befittingly “available money allowed to us to delivery only half of it, so it resulted in a double height loft space of three by six, with the same program as the house” (Aravena and Iacobelli, 2016: 112). The structure was

a block work c-section, providing the necessary fire resistance and acoustic insulation between the units, separated by what Elemental describe as a “horizontal dividing wall” (Aravena, A. Iacobelli, A. 2016: 112)

simply, a concrete slab. Inside the empty shell are timber framed wall partitions with only one side of sheet material. No mention of water proofing when considering the bathroom area, and from photos (see fig.10)

suggestive of none. The fixtures the beneficiaries would receive are, a kitchen sink, toilet, hand basin and

a shower. Through the most optimistic lens, you

could reword the aforementioned as a blank

canvas, with the families being the artists,

to create their own composition within the

framework of the house. An expectation installed, for the growth of the architecture. “Adaptation,

self-construction, and community innovation are

certainly central issues, but approaching them by

leaving half of the house unbuilt can easily lead

to the aestheticization of poverty and subsequent process of marginalisation.”(Boano, C. and Vergara Perucich, F. 2016: 67)

“The housing policy demanded” (Aravena, A. Iacobelli, A. 2016 p112) a new built ‘home’ to be of at

a bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living-dining space. The construction of the six by six home would

result in small cramped spaces for this quantity of rooms, therefore Elemental suggested to prioritise

the complex construction sequence. Preventing a situation to arise where a kitchen appears on the

3rd floor with awkward plumbing routes. The beneficiaries could construct the relatively simple spaces e.g. a bedroom. Moreover, the bedroom was then subject to elimination within the initial build. “Saving

on the bedroom meant bending a policy rule the MINVU was at first unprepared to bend. We obtained

an exception from the ministry only after the community unanimously voted for well-built structural systems, kitchens and bathrooms.” (Aravena, A. Iacobelli, A. 2016: 110)

Elemental frame the scarcity embedded by neoliberalism within the incrementality of the scheme, that

can therefore be translated into the design. As the project grows, the introduction of elements allows it to do so in a more flexible and reasonable form. “Although austerity and scarcity are inevitably intertwined

— the regimes of austerity induce real scarcities — austerity is not the same as scarcity. Austerity is the

outcome of the ideologies of neo-liberalism, whereas scarcity is a higher-level condition that both drives

those ideologies and also threatens them. Scarcity is the motor of capitalism: scarcity of supply regulates the market” (Till, 2012)

A water heater wasn’t to be incorporated, to the expense of the families, installation would occur at a later

date. Due to insufficient funds, families were made aware of this revision, as the project budget was at

risk of being compromised. The option tabled was, water heater or land ownership? For the inhabitants

to receive a home, although half finished, one that has improved the overall hygiene, has inextricably tackled one the UN sustainable development goals. no.6, Water, hygiene and sanitation (United Nations, 2015). The idea of a flushing a toilet, is one that is taken for granted [2] and has now gifted Quinta Monroy

an additional basic human right.

Outdoor spaces are integral to every housing development schemes. It gives inhabitants the space for

social activities, as well as an area for children to play, before retreating to their abode. As Aravena and Iacobelli (2016: 107) state to “develop a communitarian association beyond the nuclear family unit.”

[2] I volunteered for the NGO, Raleigh Tanzania in Autumn 2017 focussing specifically on the goal of water hygiene and sanitation. Despite the critical analysis surrounding such ‘white saviour’ projects. It

has created within me the awareness of The United Nations sustainable development goals that were

The community engagement with defining the public spaces was crucial, they had identified the opportunity

to orientate the units to generate four plazas amongst the development. The plaza is a familiar iconic

public space typology around South America town centres, usually located amongst municipal buildings.

They offer a place for demonstrations or festivals to take place. Some extra initiatives have been executed by the communities by applying for regional funds in the development of “paving courtyards, painting the additions, and hauling the trash and construction materials from the courtyards.” (Aravena, A. Iacobelli, A. 2016: 108)

From a design point of view, the prototype successfully fulfils the desires of the housing policy. It’s a

model that fits with in the tight budgetary framework and delivers to one hundred families. If you ignore

briefly the economical constraint for the family and buying into its neoliberal nature, the idea that a house

can expand to beyond that of anything else available on the market, is in essence, success. That being

said, the house is not a home. It is a concept that isn’t unique to Elemental but looks good on paper,

devised at a university. Making the parallel building a reality, was not going to be an easy task. After all,

It was a prototype, there are going to be issues that arise from it naturally. It is a form that efficiently

maximises space on a site. Encouraging news to the state. Elemental have followed the brief and devised a scheme which unfairly is unfinished and a burden to the families. “The current incremental housing

program fails to reach families’ expectations, which creates negative perceptions of the initial houses.” (Marinovic, G. and Baek, J. 2016: 128).

Ground Floor

Duplex Apartment

2nd Floor Self-Construction

3rd Floor

Fig. 11 Quinta Monroy floor plans of the house and duplex typologies