The Urban Village Project: At the Forefront of the Housing Crisis
SPACE10 (IKEA's global research and design lab) and EFFEKT Architects have developed The Urban Village Project, whose aim is to aid the current urban housing crisis by building sustainable, affordable and livable homes.
As we face a grave housing and environmental crisis, many seek to find a way to support and provide sustainable and livable structures for the present and future needs of people. In just over ten years, it is predicted that 1.6 billion people will lack affordable housing; and urban space is already increasingly shrinking. With that said, Ikea has devised a plan. The global research and design lab SPACE10 (who work for IKEA) collaborated with EFFEKT Architects and have created The Urban Village Project.
SPACE10’s aim — explained by co-founder Carla Cammilla Hjort — is to help combat pressing societal issues — such as climate change, rapid urbanisation and so forth — by working alongside experts, giving people access to innovative technology and testing out possible solutions. With theirs and EFFEKT Architect’s effort, The Urban Village Project is set to increase the quality of life of many and will adapt to various types of families and living situations, thanks to their modular building system; an echo of their well-known, well-designed and easy to use “flat-packed kits”. This will enable the homes to be fitted for numerous different types of urban configurations.
The homes will be built in a sustainable approach, as they will be able to be reused and recycled, benefitting the circular economy. Even better, the methods of constructions will be more sustainable too, as cross-laminated timber will be used as structural support. This project paves the way for other organisations and companies to create solutions for those who have none currently.
