SPACE10 and EFFEKT Architects present a vision for how to design, build and share our future homes, neighbourhoods and cities. The mission is to tackle some of the urgent challenges we face in our new urban realities, all while creating more liveable, affordable and sustainable homes. SPACE10 now launches the vision to the public to inspire and engage others and receive valuable feedback from people before planning next steps.
Cities all around the world are facing major challenges when it comes to rapid urbanisation, ageing populations, loneliness, climate change and lack of affordable housing. Unless we rethink our built environment, our cities will become increasingly unsustainable, unaffordable and socially unequal. At this year’s Democratic Design Days—IKEA’s annual event where the brand introduces its upcoming collections and collaborations—SPACE10 presents The Urban Village Project.
The Urban Village Project is a vision for how to design, build and share our future homes, neighbourhoods and cities in order to improve our quality of life. Specifically, it aims to make our everyday more liveable, sustainable and affordable.
The Urban Village Project envisions:
- Cross-generational shared living communities in the hearts of our cities with flexible, high quality homes connected to a variety of shared services and facilities; and a digital interface to support everyday needs
- A lower entry point into the housing market. This would come from rethinking the way we design and finance our homes; introducing new subscription-based models; and offering the added opportunity to earn equity in where you live.
- A modular building system that can be pre-fabricated, flat-packed and even disassembled. This ensures a more sustainable and CO2-reducing construction method and a circular approach to the management and life cycle of our buildings.
“Urban Villages is based on a modular building system which allows us to configure a wide range of different housing typologies for different urban settings. The system is designed for disassembly, unlocking a truly circular material loop where building components and materials can be reused and replaced rather than wasted. This could be a game changer for the building industry.” says Sinus Lynge, partner, EFFEKT Architects
“It is clear that unless we rethink our built environment, our cities will become increasingly unsustainable, unaffordable and socially unequal. For us, shared living can offer potential solutions to some of these urgent challenges. The Urban Village Project looks at how we can create new realities that promote a sense of well-being and turn the spaces we inhabit into healthier and happier places, all while being more affordable and efficient for those that live there.”
Jamiee Williams, Architectural lead, SPACE10
