Urban Housing as a Product of Types, Density and Systems

In this design studio, students will address the issue of affordable urban housing by responding to socio-cultural, topographical and material-technological aspects. The socio-cultural aspects will be addressed by careful examination of the user group and the existing settlements (slums). This process will help students question the conventional BHK typology and arrive at unit-types and densities that could cater to the needs of families and communities as they grow. The topographical aspects are best represented by the growing relevance of sustainable approach to built environments. Performance based design with aspects of thermal comfort will be at the forefront in the design process. Finally, the choice of materials, architectural elements and organising principles will lead to evolution of a ‘System’ that will be tested by applying to other sites in the same city. The idea here is to look at housing as a system, much in the sense of vernacular architecture.