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low medium high
have been built for refugees and Roma people, according to the description, and if it be so, then acceptance levels would not be fair enough.
and as stated in the description is supposed to remain on site for five years. This means that its nature is both transitory or temporary and so the level of tenancy (people can remain for a maximum of six months). Actually, it is mainly thought as a shelter for travelers and migrants, so people in the program are expected to move somewhere else. Traceability is good.
What makes this case interesting is its archi-tectural configuration, which makes it sustai-nable in terms of materials and costs. To optimi-ze the time scheduled for construction, everything has been built both on site (the structure) and in a factory (prefabricated boxes), so that once com-pleted, every piece just needed to be put in pla-ce with low costs of construction. This technique also allows the project to be easily dismantled and resettled in another site. In a logic of circular economy, having reusable materials account for sustainable solutions. Unfortunely, there are no informations about insulation or energetic per-formances.
It is unclear whether the service is only avai-lable for some or for all of those in need. Boxes
252. All extra informations are available at the Emmaüs Solidarité official website, https://www.emmaus-solidarite.org/carte-des-structures/?t=activi-tes-specifiques_5926
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COHOUSING
12. "Y:Cube" by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners 13. "Stepping Stones" by Morris + Company
14. "Herzberg Public Housing" by AllesWirdGut Ar-chitektur + feld72
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low medium high
4. evaluation 177
12. "Y:Cube" by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
Info
Commission: charity YMCA London South West Location: Mitcham, South London, UK
Program: Co-housing Year: 2015
Area: 1640m2 (gfa) and 26m2 per single unit
«Designed for charity YMCA, this factory-building housing scheme by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Par-tners will provide accommodation for 36 home-less young people in Mitcham, south London.
Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ modular Y:Cube scheme for the YMCA was designed to be easily assembled and transported, so blocks can be mo-ved between temporary sites in the capital. (fig.
54)
FIG. 54 | Perspective view of the ensemble from the street
Photo Credit: Grant Smith via ArchDaily (https://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/08/richard-rogers-prefabricated-housing-for-homeless-people-opens-in-south-london-mitcham-mer-ton/)
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253. Jessica Mairs, Richard Rogers’ prefabricated housing for homeless people opens in south London, September 2015, (for) «Dezeen», https://www.dezeen.
com/2015/09/08/richard-rogers-prefabricated-housing-for-homeless-peo-ple-opens-in-south-london-mitcham-merton/
Named George Williams Court after YMCA’s foun-ding member, the complex comprises 36 sin-gle-occupancy apartments. Each of the 26-squa-re-metre units has a combined living room and kitchen and a separate en-suite bedroom. (fig. 55)
earlier today. «The supply lags behind demand and buying becomes ever more unaffordable.» Rogers claims there is space to build a further half a million houses on disused brownfield sites across the capital. «We need to let local authori-ties build more, to make the most of their land, create the communities that we need and put va-lue back into building more affordable social hou-sing» he said. «We need to unleash similar buil-ding innovation across the capital or the same old business model will cause us to stay in the same old housing crisis.»
Each unit costs between £30,000 and £35,000, and takes about a week to construct in the Derby-shire factory – and the same to assemble on-site.
[...] Rent is calculated at 65 per cent of the local market value, taking into account site lease and construction costs – equating to an outgoing of approximately £150 per week for each resident in the Mitcham scheme, which sits on charity-ow-ned land. This setup is desigcharity-ow-ned to allow residen-ts to put money aside to save towards a purchase in the private housing sector.»253
The brightly coloured blocks are stacked one on top of the other at a previously vacant plot betwe-en a play park and rows of suburban housing in Mitcham, a district within the London borough of Merton.
[...] «We’ve been failing to build enough housing» said Richard Rogers at the opening of the scheme
FIG. 55 | Single unit interiors
Photo Credit: Grant Smith via ArchDaily (https://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/08/ri- chard-rogers-prefabricated-housing-for-homeless-people-opens-in-south-london-mi-tcham-merton/)
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ning, skills and confidence to be ready to face independent life. This starts with the provision of the basic needs such as water, food storage and private hygenic services, followed by the opportu-nity of users to access sport facilities, commuopportu-nity halls, skill-based trainings, apprenticeship sche-mes, food banks and health and mental support.
YMCA let properties for the 65% of current rent prices in the area (starting from 250£ per week)255, which means that a flat costs 150£ per week, for a total of 600£ per month. Despite pri-ces under the average, though, the rent may still result too much for some.
The building is located east of Mitcham, a district of South London in the London Borough of Merton.
The area has a strong residential connotation, with a relatively low number of services within the close surroundings: a grocery, some sport fa-cilities, parks and a couple of schools. Transport seems a bit better, with several bus stops and a train station.
Despite being a co-housing project, Y:Cube provi-The design of the unit is simple but effective. provi-The
prefabricated box is provided with pre-glazing and cladding processes which help achieving high values of thermal and acoustic insulation.
Being treated with plastic and chemical agents may result in dispersion of toxic volatile com-punds when exposed to extreme conditions, but since the ventilation is good the comfort should be guaranteed.
Social Housing, actually being an independent living situation in a proper flat, allows security and safety not only because of the fact that pe-ople are the owners of their places, but also be-cause the community built around the settlement may play an interesting role in safeguarding each others’ doors.
Y:Cube offers adequate space for a good quali-ty apartment. Each flat has an area of 26m2 and includes a fully funrnished living space with ki-tchen, a separate bedroom and private toilet.
YMCA’s philosophy is to support young people not only with a bed but also with adequate