The word ‘house’ has evolved throughout the millennia and infused itself into many languages; however, the basic reference to covering and sheltering has always been preserved. Housing in the contemporary sense refers to a relatively complex structure comprising different shapes and sizes accommodating various functionalities, evolving in accordance with cultural, social, technological, and natural progresses. A house provides more than basic protection, but is the backdrop for the daily lives of occupants, and even a reflection of an individual’s character, beliefs, and socioeconomic status. This book discusses an array of critical contemporary issues on housing design pertaining to sustainable practices, emerging technologies, heritage conservation, humanitarian efforts, fictional environments and their effects on occupants’ physical and psychological experience and well-being. As such, it will serve to develop further understanding and to enrich the perspectives of any designer and educator invested in the subject.

Following intense debate throughout the 20th century, the issue of residential housing is becoming increasingly central to the contemporary situation, characterised by large cities, urban sprawl and general fragmentation in spaces of the home and collective life. Projects are attempting to give answers through flexible systems that try to give form to new public and private spaces for the individual. The home speaks of a world that is changing very rapidly and the selected projects can be seen as experimental attempts to give shape to new ways of experiencing the home in the future. Through an analysis of some of the most significant projects built in the last ten years, this book traces pivotal themes such as density, flexibility, the relationship with the land, constructing on the constructed, and the image of the house. Analysis is made in essays written by leading authors in the field

1. Unique introductory guide to urban housing design 2. An accessible text that outlines the current debate on urban planning and presents guidance for design solutions 3. Contemporary case studies showcase the best examples for high density housing design

For the past decade, the Los Angeles architect Michael Maltzan has designed multiunit housing in a city known for its proliferation of single-family residences. Working with the Skid Row Housing Trust, these projects advance new forms of supportive housing that address the services and infrastructures needed for their particular populations of inhabitants. For Maltzan, housing manifests an incredibly complex set of spatial problems--social, economic, political, typological, aesthetic, and urban--that recast architecture's role in framing the social relationships and individual challenges of everyday urban life. Social Transparency includes a recent lecture by Maltzan at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, as well as reflections from fellow practitioners on this sustained engagement with housing and the city.

TRANSFORMING ISSUES IN HOUSING DESIGN A practical and complete resource for students, researchers, and practitioners of housing design Transforming Issues in Housing Design delivers a comprehensive vision for the design, philosophy, psychology, efficiency, and constitution of housing. This collection of articles explores many of the most pressing and relevant issues related to the ongoing transformation of housing design. Twenty-two contributed chapters discuss the past and current state of housing design, how it evolved to become what it is today, and, finally, how it may unfold in the future. A team of global experts presents the most up-to-date research and a diverse and illuminating collection of examples to highlight housing design around the world. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to modern housing design and how it relieves and contributes to various social and economic problems Insightful explorations of the built environment, interior architecture, urban design, sustainable living, space planning, and more Practical discussions of a theoretical framework to make sense of housing design concepts Complete treatments of concepts, research, and built projects from a diverse range of communities and cultures Perfect for architects and students of urban studies, interior design, and architecture, Transforming Issues in Housing Design will also benefit those who design, research, and teach housing.

Across the world, the housing crisis is escalating. Mass migration to cities has led to rapid urbanisation on an unprecedented scale, while the withdrawal of public funding from social housing provision in Western countries, and widening income inequality, have further compounded the situation. In prosperous US and European cities, middle- and low-income residents are being pushed out of housing markets increasingly dominated by luxury investors. The average London tenant, for example, now pays an unaffordable 49 per cent of his or her pre-tax income in rent. Parts of the developing world and areas of forced migration are experiencing insufficient affordable housing stock coupled with rapidly shifting ways of life. In response to this context, forward-thinking architects are taking the lead with a collaborative approach. By partnering with allied fields, working with residents, developing new forms of housing, and leveraging new funding systems and policies, they are providing strategic leadership for what many consider to be our cities’ most pressing crisis. Amidst growing economic and health disparities, this issue of AD asks how housing projects, and the design processes behind them, might be interventions towards greater social equity, and how collaborative work in housing might reposition the architectural profession at large. Recommended by Fast Company as one of the best reads of 2018 and included in their list of 9 books designers should read in 2019! Contributors include: Cynthia Barton, Deborah Gans, and Rosamund Palmer; Neeraj Bhatia and Antje Steinmuller; Dana Cuff; Fatou Dieye; Robert Fishman; Na Fu; Paul Karakusevic; Kaja Kühl and Julie Behrens; Matthew Gordon Lasner; Meir Lobaton Corona; Marc Norman; Julia Park; Brian Phillips and Deb Katz; Pollyanna Rhee; Emily Schmidt and Rosalie Genevro Featured architects: Architects for Social Housing, Shigeru Ban Architects, Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO, cityLAB, Frédéric Druot Architecture, ERA Architects, GANS studio, Garrison Architects, HOWOGE, Interface Studio Architects, Karakusevic Carson Architects, Lacaton & Vassal, Light Earth Designs, NHDM, PYATOK architecture + urban design, Urbanus, and Urban Works Agency

Flexible housing is housing that can adjust to the changing needs of the user and accommodate new technologies as they emerge. Flexible Housing by Jeremy Till and Tatjana Schneider examines the past, present and future of this important subject through over 160 international examples. Specially commissioned plans, printed to scale, together with over 200 illustrations and diagrams provide fascinating detail and allow direct visual comparisons to be made. Combining history, theory and design the book explains the social and economic benefits that can be achieved and shows the various ways it has been and can be delivered. The book ends with an accessible guide to how flexible housing might be designed and constructed today to achieve adaptable and ultimately sustainable buildings. Housing designers, housing managers and students of architecture, construction and housing will find this book of immense value both as a comprehensive reference and design manual.