‘Pocket Home’: Architecture Design Competition for A tiny abode amidst the dense concrete jungle
Modern metropolises
A city is a maze of buildings, vehicles, and people, that is designed to be an intricate system. The socio-economic development is unhindered and more agglomerations of cities are coming into existence each day.
The immediate responsibility of the city is to shelter its people. For their living and convenience, various typologies of buildings are built around. Planning plays an important role in controlling the density and efficiency of cities.
Balancing a myriad of typologies and concerns is already a daunting task, moreover, the added pressure of demands rising exponentially over a short time has crippled the growth of many cities.
This haphazard situation is the result of faulty planning or its unintended effect on urban areas. It is ironic since planning is to be wielded as a tool to bring order to cities, but the poor execution can lead to a series of chaotic events.
Can you identify some of the issues in megacities due to inadequate planning?
Valuing precious urban land
Planning determines the design and layout of a piece of land and it focuses on the physical form, economic function, and social impact of the urban environment. Under the pressure of urbanization, this act is becoming more convoluted. So, there are many inconsistencies in the planning process.
There are some oddly sized parcels of land that remain vacant around the city. Planning politics, land ownership disputes, or the layers of past developments may be the cause of this. These plots remain unused most times, as they might not be suitable for conventional construction.
The vacant areas are a huge waste and also impact the street and the neighborhood as shoddy elements here can lead to an unsafe, unhygienic, or undesirable image. Resources are scarce as is, and with land values rising each day, these urban residual spaces present an opportunity. Exploring the potential for experiment and activation of these residual plots is essential.
Is it possible to induce temporary use out of these leftover properties with qualitative interventions?
Brief of the Competition
Brief: Design a modular pocket housing on an urban residual plot of land in a dense urban city.
The solution proposed must be modular and temporary since the land may be vacant for a limited time period. It must be built to provide living space to people on a rental basis, for short durations. The assembly and disassembly of the housing units must be efficient.
The concept for this space can be unconventional with innovation in form, layout, or interior elements. The design of the housing must be compact with maximum space utilization. The furniture must be modular with an ambiance of comfort and convenience of use.
The aim is to use the unusually oriented, leftover plots to create a cohesive design that can cater to the need of homes in the city. Daylight and ventilation must be well-designed to make the spaces feel bigger and more open. It must be less resource-intensive and economical for easy maintenance.
Design Objectives
The design should aim at creating a new way of living. The design can completely disregard/challenge the way houses are made currently.
- Modular: Temporary housing solution to bring vacant land into use.
- Optimization: Optimum use of available carpet area.
- Basics: Natural Light and Natural Ventilation
- Contextuality: Anchorage to the chosen site in terms of climate etc. and culture.
Site
The site is located in New York, United States. It has a population of more than 8 million people living over 300 square miles of land. It is an exquisite global city that is the center of world activities and events which makes it an attractive destination for both visitors and migrants.
The city of New York is a dense urban landscape, distinct in character in every block. This diversity and colorful nature can be used to derive inspiration for the pocket house design. It is known for compact living and innovative tiny housing accommodations and this typology will thrive in this city where land prices are soaring through the roof with each passing day.
The location of the site is 271, Bowery. It is located on Bowery Street and is accessible by the Housten street center. The neighborhood consists of many commercial establishments like eateries and outlets and is a popular spot attracting visitors from all over the city.
- Site area: 182 sq.m
- Height Restrictions: 12 meters
- Maximum Built-Up Area: No cap
- Coordinates: 40°43'25.1"N 73°59'32.8"W
There are no setbacks on this site. The design proposal can reach the extent on all sides.
Area Programme
The project should comprise 12 modular living units. The units will be rented out individually to different people as per their needs for not more than 6 months duration.
The following programmatic outline is the point to begin your design at. You can add a couple of more functions and activities in relevance to the competition brief — however, the number of living units shall remain fixed.
● The area of each modular living unit must not be more than 30 sq.m floor space (Total 12 units x 30 sq.m maximum = 360 sq.m modular living unit floor area). The height limits are up to the participants for a single module as long as they are comfortable for human habitation as per standards. The entire floor space of a single module (30 sq.m) must be on one level only. (Single-level module only)
● Each housing unit shall be designed for one or two persons and provided with spaces for living, sleeping, cooking, and bathroom.
● Ancillary activities: About 15–20 sq.m of space for a reception desk/lobby, a small office for security, and a staff toilet must be provided to manage the pocket housing booking and service provision. (This does not have to be modular)
● Shared amenities like a staircase, lifts, plumbing shafts, services, HVAC, storage, are not included in the 30 sq.m floor space limit of living units and are up to the participants to plan on based on project needs. There is no need for technical detailing of these elements, just marking the massing shall be enough.
Project: iPod Tube House by James Law Cybertecture
The iPod module is an experimental micro-housing unit designed using a 2.5 meters diameter concrete water pipe. The unit is built with services of living, cooking, and bathroom all fit into an area of approximately 100 square feet i.e. 9.29 square meters.
These modular units can be stacked on top of each other in any plot of any shape and size with a modular setup of services that can be moved when needed. In this way, the land gets utilized in the absence of any permanent construction or full-time use of the space.
This solution offers a cost-effective solution to both utilization of leftover space and shortage of housing in metropolitan areas.
Originally published at https://uni.xyz.
