scholarly journals Process + Product: The condition of low-cost housing in Bangkok, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Samuel Peter Brown
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Collective Construction ◽  
Low Income Housing

<p>The low-income housing situation in Bangkok, Thailand, is similar to that faced in many developing cities throughout the world. The housing opportunities afforded to residents classed as low-income dwellers, are minimal, unsuitable and inconsiderate of their complex social, cultural and spiritual requirements, often leading to the formation of slums, and squatter settlements. The close proximity of living experienced in informal settlements results in a community-focused style of living, where neighbours rely on each other to survive. This is translated not only into the social fabric of the informal settlement, but also into the architectural style of these vernacular communities. The process of helping construct your neighbour's home, builds social and cultural ties; these traits are often lost when outside parties attempt to ‘improve’ the low-income living situation. The idea of housing design as a process not just a product, also referred to as ‘cooked’ architecture, is widely promoted through the writings, research and design methodologies focused towards low-income housing endeavors (Rapoport, 1988; Sinha, 2012; Yap, 1990). Despite this, effective involvement of residents in developing and building their own homes is something rarely practiced or achieved within architecture, yet the benefits of including residents, who are the focus of a complex social and architectural situation, in the design process seems clear. There is little question that communities that work through this process become stronger, both socially and economically, however, the quality of housing and architectural output is still at a very low level, despite obvious improvements from the previous low-cost conditions. To address this, an architectural outcome has been developed utilizing a critical design approach. The implementation of ethnographic and participatory design research, as well as multiple design iterations, based on current and traditional modes, has resulted in an architecture that is culturally responsive, impacts the existing context lightly, and primarily provides a positive social scenario to encourage community betterment through collective construction and living.</p>

scholarly journals Process + Product: The condition of low-cost housing in Bangkok, Thailand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Samuel Peter Brown
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Collective Construction ◽  
Low Income Housing

<p>The low-income housing situation in Bangkok, Thailand, is similar to that faced in many developing cities throughout the world. The housing opportunities afforded to residents classed as low-income dwellers, are minimal, unsuitable and inconsiderate of their complex social, cultural and spiritual requirements, often leading to the formation of slums, and squatter settlements. The close proximity of living experienced in informal settlements results in a community-focused style of living, where neighbours rely on each other to survive. This is translated not only into the social fabric of the informal settlement, but also into the architectural style of these vernacular communities. The process of helping construct your neighbour's home, builds social and cultural ties; these traits are often lost when outside parties attempt to ‘improve’ the low-income living situation. The idea of housing design as a process not just a product, also referred to as ‘cooked’ architecture, is widely promoted through the writings, research and design methodologies focused towards low-income housing endeavors (Rapoport, 1988; Sinha, 2012; Yap, 1990). Despite this, effective involvement of residents in developing and building their own homes is something rarely practiced or achieved within architecture, yet the benefits of including residents, who are the focus of a complex social and architectural situation, in the design process seems clear. There is little question that communities that work through this process become stronger, both socially and economically, however, the quality of housing and architectural output is still at a very low level, despite obvious improvements from the previous low-cost conditions. To address this, an architectural outcome has been developed utilizing a critical design approach. The implementation of ethnographic and participatory design research, as well as multiple design iterations, based on current and traditional modes, has resulted in an architecture that is culturally responsive, impacts the existing context lightly, and primarily provides a positive social scenario to encourage community betterment through collective construction and living.</p>

Environmental and Social Issues in Jordanian Low-Income Housing Design

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-120
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abu Al Haija
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Housing Crisis ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Macro Scale ◽  
Residential Quarters ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Low Income Housing

The relationship between people, environmental circumstances and the cost of projects in Jordan are focal points of this study, where the problem of low-income housing needs is still increasing, having tripled in the last two decades. The shortage of public housing production and the cost of lands and building materials, mainly controlled by private sector investors, are substantial reasons for the housing crisis in a country of poor economic recourses and high percentage of poverty. The Jordanian government decided to aid the poorest class of the population, offering free of charge shelters organized in small residential quarters, which became a prototype diffused throughout all the Jordanian regions. This paper analyzes one of these typical quarters, collecting data through face-to-face interviews with the households using a structured questionnaire. The study focuses on the physical components of the quarter, looking at open spaces, paths, streets, volumes, materials, colors in relation with the environmental context. It also investigates the households' requirements, relationships and preferences. The study discusses also the housing problems at the macro scale level in order to concretely evaluate the shelters' cost, setting some guidelines with respect to the cultural and environmental local conditions.

scholarly journals High rises and low-quality shelter: rental housing dynamics in Mathare Valley, Nairobi

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 481-502
Author(s):  
Baraka Mwau ◽  
Alice Sverdlik
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Informal Settlement ◽  
Rental Housing ◽  
Housing Markets ◽  
Single Room ◽  
Rental Markets ◽  
Central Pillar ◽  
Shelter Delivery

Informal rental housing remains a hidden – yet central – pillar of low-cost shelter markets across the global South. The large informal settlement of Mathare Valley illustrates Nairobi’s rapidly changing informal rental housing markets, with the ongoing rise of tenements alongside metal shacks. Informal single-room rental units (shacks and tenements) already house most Nairobi residents in low-quality but highly profitable shelter. This case study describes how multiple exclusions can shape access to rental housing and examines the politics of shelter delivery. We underscore the importance of private rental markets and offer recommendations for inclusive, multi-pronged interventions combining support for rental housing, land governance and infrastructure delivery. Through a better understanding of the myriad actors and dynamics of informal rental housing, it may be possible to develop strategies that serve low-income tenants for whom renting is often the only viable option.

A model for implementing product modularity in buildings design

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 680-699
Author(s):  
Cecilia Gravina da Rocha ◽  
Hana B.C. El Ghoz ◽  
Sidnei Jr Guadanhim
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Product Modularity ◽  
Modular Buildings ◽  
Low Income Housing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the fundamental underpinnings of product modularity and how these can be adapted to construction and its specificities (e.g. one-off products delivered by temporary supply chains) to create a model to design modular buildings. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a design science research approach. Explanation I (substantive theory devising based on the analysis of an artefact ‒ a low-income housing project) is used, followed by Solution Incubation (a model to implement product modularity in buildings design). Findings The model allows product modularity to be implemented at distinct levels (i.e. building, systems and components) at a single stage (building design), different from manufacturing where each level is considered at a distinct stage. This is in line with the project investigated: modularity was considered for house layouts, roof types and gable formats. Practical implications The model provides a hands-on tool for practitioners to design modular buildings. The low-income project is also extensively detailed: three-dimensional models, floor plans and conceptual diagrams (outlining how fundamental underpinnings were applied at each level) are presented. There is a lack of comprehensive accounts such as the one presented here to demonstrate the application of product modularity in real-world projects. Originality/value This paper identifies and adapts the fundamental underpinnings of product modularity to construction, and it details how these were applied to a low-income housing design at distinct levels. Based on these two endeavours, a model to implement product modularity in buildings design is proposed.

scholarly journals Renewing Materials: 3D Printing and Distributed Recycling Disrupting Samoa's Plastic Waste Stream

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lionel Taito-Taaalii Matamua
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Stream ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Arts ◽  
3D Printed

<p>This research addresses the serious issue of plastic waste in the Pacific. Using Samoa as a case study, we hypothesise that distributed recycling combined with 3D printing offers an opportunity to re-purpose and add new value to this difficult waste stream. It is also an opportunity to engage diverse local communities in Samoa by combining notions of participatory design, maker-spaces and ‘wikis’ of parts with traditional Samoan social concepts such as ‘Fa’a Samoa’, or ‘the Samoan way’ and sense of community.  The project seeks to explore creative and innovative solutions to re-purposing plastic waste via a range of design research methods. Field work in Samoa has established the scope of the issue through interviews with different stakeholders such as Government, waste management businesses, the arts and crafts community and education. The field work has also helped identify potential product areas and collaborative partners. The different types of plastic in the waste stream have been identified and material experiments such as plastic shredding and filament extrusion are underway using low cost open source processing equipment to transform plastic waste into usable 3D printing filament. From this filament, potential 3D printed end products are explored through a hands-on researching by making process.  The experiments inform the design of workable, economically viable, socially empowering and sustainable scenarios for re-purposing and up-cycling plastic waste; printed in the form of useful and culturally meaningful 3D printed objects, artifacts and products.Applications range from creating greater awareness of the issue by way of tourism and the Samoan notion of ‘mea alofa’ or ‘gifting’, through to functional utensils and parts. It is an opportunity to expand Samoa’s traditional forms of craft into new self-sustaining communities, maker-spaces and small scale local industries. The outputs of the initial project are intended to provoke discussion and invite participation in the implementation of these different scenarios of production.</p>

scholarly journals Coding Engines in Participatory Social Housing Design—A Case to Revisit Pattern Languages

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3367
Author(s):  
Viktor Bukovszki ◽  
Gabriella Dóci ◽  
András Reith
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Pattern Languages ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Sustainable Lifestyle ◽  
Shared Spaces ◽  
Early Stage Design

Participation has been touted as a critical instrument for both citizen empowerment and responsibility-sharing in sustainability. In architecture, participation allows for the progression of green building to sustainable habitation that integrates environmental, economic, and social dimensions. However, participation in practice rarely delegates meaningful decisions to marginalized groups and is mostly a one-sided process. This study seeks to investigate which factors of the participatory method afford both empowerment and behavioral change to a sustainable lifestyle in low-income groups. To do so, a case study of designing a social housing estate in Hungary is presented, where participatory design was used to codevelop a building that considers and adjusts to the sustainable lifestyle envisioned by the future residents. A coding engine based on the concept of pattern languages was developed that places conditions and experience of everyday activities at the center of design, translating them to spatial features. As a result, a focus group of social housing tenants and cohousing experts were able to define explicit shared spaces, allocate square meters to them, and articulate legible design criteria. Of the early-stage design decisions, 45% were made with or by the participants, and the bilateral process made it possible to convince the tenants to adopt a more sustainable habitation format.

scholarly journals Renewing Materials: 3D Printing and Distributed Recycling Disrupting Samoa's Plastic Waste Stream

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lionel Taito-Taaalii Matamua
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Participatory Design ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Waste Stream ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
The Arts ◽  
3D Printed

<p>This research addresses the serious issue of plastic waste in the Pacific. Using Samoa as a case study, we hypothesise that distributed recycling combined with 3D printing offers an opportunity to re-purpose and add new value to this difficult waste stream. It is also an opportunity to engage diverse local communities in Samoa by combining notions of participatory design, maker-spaces and ‘wikis’ of parts with traditional Samoan social concepts such as ‘Fa’a Samoa’, or ‘the Samoan way’ and sense of community.  The project seeks to explore creative and innovative solutions to re-purposing plastic waste via a range of design research methods. Field work in Samoa has established the scope of the issue through interviews with different stakeholders such as Government, waste management businesses, the arts and crafts community and education. The field work has also helped identify potential product areas and collaborative partners. The different types of plastic in the waste stream have been identified and material experiments such as plastic shredding and filament extrusion are underway using low cost open source processing equipment to transform plastic waste into usable 3D printing filament. From this filament, potential 3D printed end products are explored through a hands-on researching by making process.  The experiments inform the design of workable, economically viable, socially empowering and sustainable scenarios for re-purposing and up-cycling plastic waste; printed in the form of useful and culturally meaningful 3D printed objects, artifacts and products.Applications range from creating greater awareness of the issue by way of tourism and the Samoan notion of ‘mea alofa’ or ‘gifting’, through to functional utensils and parts. It is an opportunity to expand Samoa’s traditional forms of craft into new self-sustaining communities, maker-spaces and small scale local industries. The outputs of the initial project are intended to provoke discussion and invite participation in the implementation of these different scenarios of production.</p>

scholarly journals The Moderating Effect of Privacy in the Relationships between Residential Livability and Residents' Life Satisfaction

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-62
Author(s):  
Sunusi Bashari ◽  
◽  
Ahmad Hariza Hashim ◽  
Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah ◽  
Nobaya Ahmad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Dwelling Unit ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
Low Cost Housing ◽  
The Relationship

This article seeks to determine whether privacy has a moderating effect on the relationship between residential livability and life satisfaction among low-income groups in Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria. The study utilised a quantitative research design, whereby descriptive and inferential analyses were employed. This was achieved through a wellstructured questionnaire administered to low-cost housing residents in the state. The data were subjected to descriptive analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software and structural equation modelling (SEM) using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The results indicated that about 73.4% of the residents experienced a low level of life satisfaction. The findings from the SEM showed that the moderating effect of privacy in the relationship between the dwelling unit and life satisfaction was good. Meanwhile, privacy was not a moderator in the relationship between social environment and life satisfaction. Finally, the article revealed that the residents' life satisfaction could be improved if dwelling unit features and privacy were considered in the low-cost housing design. Practically, the study serves as a blueprint for government policy in designing low-cost housing in the future.

scholarly journals THE HOUSING DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL LIVABILITY: THE LOW-INCOME EARNER PERSPECTIVE

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Sunusi Bashari ◽  
Ahmad Hariza Hashim
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Quantitative Aspect ◽  
Housing Design ◽  
The Public ◽  
Low Cost Housing ◽  
The Government ◽  
Housing Attributes ◽  
Housing Units

In Nigeria, statistics has shown that over 7 out of every 10 people live below the minimum poverty level and 9 of every 10 are in the low-income group (Fadairo & Olotuah, 2013). This indicates that, these people cannot provide housing for themselves, they need intervention from government through public low-cost housing. Public Low-cost housing has been defined as constructed public residential houses funded  by the government or in partnership with the government under the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, to provide affordable housing for low-income people  (Ayoola & Amole, 2014; Makinde, 2014a). The results indicated that, there is need to consider users preferences in construction of public low-cost housing so as achieve maximum satisfaction. Research Objectives The purpose of this paper is to explore the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria and assess how residents perceived the housing units in relation to their culture since housing units are constructed or an intervention of the government for low-income earners. Thus, the paper would serve as a blueprinted government, housing policy makers and housing developers to understand that, the housing constructions and infrastructural elements should reflect the cultural background of the beneficiaries. Views of beneficiaries before and after construction of public low-cost housing are of great importance. Methodology This research was conducted through both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In qualitative aspect, three respondents were interviewed to express their perception on the public low-cost housing design, while quantitative aspect assessed the residential housing attributes of low-cost housing estates with view to identify the most important housing attributes considered by the residents through descriptive statistics and Relative Importance Index (RII). This was achieved through a well-structured questionnaire administered to the residents of public low-cost housing of Jigawa state, Nigeria although without considering other categories of housing type and high-income people. Previous studies such as Lukuman, Sipan, Raji, and Aderemi (2017), Tanko, Abdullah, and Ramly (2017) and Adegoke (2016) used RII on various studies. Results The results indicated that, the design of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State, Nigeria does not reflect the culture of the residents, most of the residents are not satisfied with it. In addition, out of fifty five (55) constructs from five (5) housing-related dimensions, the result identified thirty two (32) important attributes out of these, the residents considered twelve (12) to be the most important attributes affecting their well-being. Findings The residents of public low-cost housing preferred the housing design that will ensure privacy of their family in term of; provision of wall demarcation; more number of bedrooms, toilets and the position of main entrance should not face directly to the main street/road. The residents also, found sharing of toilets system and common roofing as part of housing design that affect the well-being. Other public low-cost housing attributes that perceived and ranked as the most important to them are; Masjid, social interaction, neighbors’ friendliness and helpful. Therefore, future construction of public low-cost housing in Jigawa State should incorporate these attributes/items in order to improve the well-being of the residents. Acknowledgement I appreciate the effort and proper supervision given to me by the chairman of my supervisory committee in person of Prof. Ahmad Hariza Hashim (PhD) and Co-supervisors; Prof. AsnarulKhadi Abu Samah (PhD) and Associate Prof. Nobaya Ahmad.

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