Skip to main content
New European Bauhaus
News article6 March 2021

Co-created affordable housing solutions

We want to see sustainable housing solutions that lead to more inclusive communities.

Swotmobiel
Swotmobiel
A. De Smet, B. Pak & Y. Schoonjans (KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture), G. Bruyneel & T. Van Heesvelde (Samenlevinsopbouw Brussel), B. Van Hoecke (CAW Brussel)

Ever heard of the Solidary Mobile Housing project?

Its creators introduced it through our website as a real-life laboratory on mobile housing solutions co-created for and with houseless people in the Brussels Capital Region.

The project has 3 main objectives:

  • to create a temporary and flexible housing solution responding to the Affordable Housing crisis
  • to increase the region's socio-spatial resilience by reactivating readily available resources
  • to develop an alternative housing typology, which facilitates communal life and solidarity

All that, through a co-creation process allowing various actors from academia, civil society, governing bodies, and vulnerable citizens in need of housing to co-create mobile housing communities that can temporarily settle on urban Waiting Spaces.

It also serves as a skill-building environment. Houseless people are empowered to help build their housing units and interact with the neighbourhood. They regain a grip not only on their housing track but also on life.

The initiative combines quality with affordability. It focuses on limited surface living, circular construction, and partial self-construction in compliance with applicable surface & quality standards. By working with prefabricated modular building elements, construction site times get shorter and production processes open up to non-professionals. Transport and installation costs are minimised by using transportable components mountable in a low-tech manner. Materials used are as much as possible local and eco-friendly and technical installations follow the 'bio-climatic building' principles. The aim is to be able to also function partially off-grid for energy efficiency and increased awareness.

The residences are modular and mobile, so they can be adapted to the needs of the respective occupant, but also to the site they are placed at.

Do you have other ideas or inspiring examples to share?

Go to Co-design in our main menu and share them!

? Housing solution / © A. De Smet, B. Pak & Y. Schoonjans (KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture), G. Bruyneel & T. Van Heesvelde (Samenlevinsopbouw Brussel), B. Van Hoecke (CAW Brussel)

Details

Publication date
6 March 2021