Desing-thinking process for a House-in-progress

What to use and enhance from informal housing ?

What to bring into the informal housing.

Program

1. Flexible and it adapts to its inhabitants' needs.

2. Container of life-sustaining activities

3. Able to grow and expand when family grows or when an extra space is needed ( to rent)

4. It holds a variety of programs apart from the dwelling.

1. Add new programs such as green open spaces and productive terraces.

*Even though the first house layout might not contain all the programs at once, it has to be considered in the design process as part of its further development.

*re-think the house as a work-inprogress instead as a final product.

Spatiality

1. Practical use of the plot area, each program stack one ot top of the other.

2. Construction and occupation happen at the same time.

1. Explore new programmatic organizations given the standard plot size 6 m x 12 m and its location within the block.

2. Consider Ventilation and daylight strategies into the design.

3. Re imagine the room as an apartment and create micro-zones..

4. Mutable layout. All the spaces are temporal and contain different programs through time.

5. Use of curtains, movable panels and temporal walls that can be move or easily dismantle.

Desing-thinking process for a House-in-progess

Construction

Structure

1. Participatory and Self-built practices.

2. Materials and workforce come from local suppliers, neighbors, family

3. Vernacular construction techniques. members.

Aesthetics

1. Allowing the inhabitants to project their personality onto the houses.

1. Bring new construction techniques and materials.

2. It has to be simple assembled and easily constructed

3. Sustainable use of materials

4. Support self-organised artisans, labourers, and local skills.

Explorations

*Usually the informal housing programs stack one on top of the other, connected by the vertical circulation. New configurations were studied to provide the programs needed and bring new programs into the house.

Volumetric explorations

Given the plot's geometry, the standard size of 6m by 12, and the long rectangle shape, different spatial configurations were studied, seeking through open spaces and patios bring natural light and ventilation within the plot. Also, it was explored different options of stacking new volumes without losing the qualities of the first layout.