“Creative but unusual housing designs that perfectly utilize these small gaps in the urban fabric” – Holcim Awards Jury
Increasing the residential density of our cities, “densifying”, is considered as an effective way to fight against urban sprawl and to foster a sustainable urban transformation that increases the individual’s quality of life and solves their transportation problems. But without dismantling existing buildings the only way to substantially increase the density is to make use of the “left over” spaces. Such pieces of land are usually small or have puzzling dimensions.
Last updated: July 01, 2008 Cambridge, MA, USA
By using Toronto as a case study, the authors have identified a multitude of such “left-overs” on which they have developed a new housing typology matching the unusual framework conditions, e.g. the unfavorable geometry of the real estate, the adjacent buildings and the possibilities for access.
The result of their efforts is a series of creative but unusual housing designs that perfectly utilize these small gaps in the urban fabric. Interesting is the thought that these partially “eccentric” housing units will respond to a tremendous demand due to the increasing social differentiation of urban society.