Housing project design tends to gravitate towards the conservative. Whether it be market-rate or social housing, past successes in organization and construction methods are generally privileged over new concepts. The following are some examples of both classic and contemporary housing projects that broke away from the norm and offer something new to the mass housing paradigm.
Most of the following images are from ArchDaily. Click on links to the images below to get detailed descriptions, floor plans, etc. for each project.
[image from ArchDaily]
Izola Social Housing by OFIS Architects
An innovative facade provides views out and privacy within. The differentiation of the facade is provided through a simple shift in the floor plan. Different colors attenuate the rhythm of the plan, while also articulating each individual unit.
[image from ArchDaily]
Unite d'Habitation by Le Corbusier
Every architecture student has to memorize the slide for this one at some point. The building stands out as complex piece of work that contains principles from both Corbusier's early and late periods of work. The building is set on large piers to free the ground plane, a brise-soleil shades from the sun and creates a varied facade, and concrete is used sculpturally to invoke metaphors.
[image from ArchDaily]
My favorite part of the design is how Corbusier uses the section (shown above) to allow units to slide around the circulation corridors. The building can't be thought of as either a "double-loaded" or "single-loaded" corridor project. Rather, some floors contain units on either side, while other levels eliminate the hallway altogether.
[image from ArchDaily]
8 House by BIG
Recently constructed, this project is already a housing classic and exemplifies the "Mountain" style for which BIG is known. Like his Pavilion project in Shanghai, the building privileges the bicycle as a wonderful means of transportation; you can bike all the way up to the top level via the massed hill.
[image from ArchDaily]
The LoftsYungay II by Rearquitectura
A Chilean project that intensifies the colorful hues of Valparaiso's existing house stock. The colors and rhythm of the project blend in with the surroundings but still articulate the increased density of the project.
[image from ArchDaily]
[image from ArchDaily]
Monterrey Housing (above) & Quinta Monroy (below) by Elemental
Both of these social housing projects by Elemental provide housing to the poor of Mexico & Chile and adopt both the typology of row-house and interior courtyard.
The earlier project (Quinta Monroy) was built to provide formal lodging for people that had been living in informal housing for years. Elemental's idea was to provide simple envelopes to provide safety, shade, warmth, and water-tightness. The decoration and aesthetics of the place (including railings and facade treatments) can be created by the residents themselves. Elemental's method here is interesting in that a formal scaffolding is provided, which can accommodate the informal life of the project's inhabitants.
According to Elemental's statement about the project, their goal was to create social housing that would actually increase in value over time (similar to investments in private housing), allow for new additions to be built by residents as their family expanded, and be located on land that had high-value.
Elemental's more recent project in Mexico (Monterrey Housing) is similar to Quinta Monroy, but differs due to the different environment, which receives much more precipitation. Also, in similar fashion to Habitat for Humanity, 50% of the project was built by the residents themselves. While resident construction in the Chile project is left up to the residents to be done informally, the project in Mexico enlists the residents to built part of Elementals' prescribed design. Also, the roofs are sloped and envelope improved to keep rain out.
[image from ArchDaily]
Docter G by Frente
Not sure what's up with the name, but this is a deceptively normal project in Mexico City. While it looks mundane at first glance, the emphasis on simple construction methods and structural expression is appreciated. There obviously wasn't a big budget, so the architects use slight shifts in structure and brick infill to create relief.
It's a strange building in how corner walls and slabs are "just" off, so that it plays with your perspective the more you look at it. The windows read as "windows" and the building as "building." Perhaps its what Aldo Rossi would've built if he had been exposed to the contemporary, informal metropolis.
[image from ArchDaily]
Bumps by SAKO Architects
It's really tough to do the cliche "housing block" scheme well. I think SAKO nails it with this project in Beijing. They use the standard housing tropes of rhythm, unit expression, and composition of masses to intriguing affect.
The buildings pivot for optimal sun exposure, and then each unit slides through a regular grid. Surface treatment colors accentuate formal moves, while windows seem to randomly pixelate each facade.
[image from ArchDaily]
[image from MIMOA]
WoZoCo (above) & Mirador Housing Superblock (below) by MVRDV
WoZoCo is another classic housing project. Extreme cantilevers increase the floor space of units and allow for a smaller building footprint. The pop-outs are a creative result to constrictive zoning rules. The result is both showy and surreal.
Mirador deserves to be on this list simply due to it's excessive size. It's just really, really big. Inside the hole of the building is a public space. The corridors also have an innovative, tri-level design.
[image from ArchDaily]
Nakagin Capsule Tower by Kisho Kurokawa
Built in the early 70s, this is one of the most iconic housing projects in Tokyo and really exemplifies the Japanese architectural movement known at Metabolism. Prefab units are plugged-in to a superstructure.
[image from ArchDaily]
The Colonnade by Paul Rudolph
A decade later, architect Paul Rudolph would take up where the Kurokawa left-off, proposing a similar idea for prefab units & superstructure in the United States. His idea was eventually realized in Singapore, but was formed of concrete. While not actually a prefab building, the rigour between structure and space is noteworthy.
[image from ArchDaily]
Eden Bio by Edouard Francois
Built of cheap materials, the project is intended to be added to by residents and eventually overgrown with plants. The project includes community gathering areas amongst the kudzu.
[image from Taller de Arquitectura]
Nemausus by Jean Nouvel
One of Jean Nouvel's early projects. The building still looks quite radical, but is the result of using cheap materials in order to save on cost and maximize tenant floor-area. Metal grills are used as both shading devices and handrails. the doors of each unit fold open completely so that units have a true connection to the outside. Corridors have increased width to act as both circulation and social areas.
[image from Islas y Territorio]
Nexus Housing by OMA
One of the few projects ever built that have units completely enclosed in the center of the building. Natural light is provided through light-wells in the center units. A very interesting take on the reclusive architecture of much Japanese 80s architecture (I'm thinking Ando here).
[image from archINFORM]
Gifu Kitagawa by Seijima
An early work from Seijima that puts residents' private habits on display. The restroom vanities actually exist outside the bathroom and face windows looking outside.
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