Designing for a Flow

Designing for a Flow: Navigating Temporalities in Housing Considerations in Low-Income and Hazard-Prone Caribbean Contexts

Kuś, A.M. (TU Delft Architectural Technology; Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies)
Mota, Nelson (TU Delft Space & Type)
van Bueren, Ellen (TU Delft Management in the Built Environment)
Carmona Báez, Antonio (University of St. Martin)
Asselbergs, M.F. (TU Delft Architectural Technology)

Management in the Built Environment

2024

The urgency of addressing housing challenges in low-income areas is increasing due to widening socio-economic inequalities and the worsening impact of natural disasters. Saint Martin, a small Caribbean island, is struggling to provide affordable housing amidst hurricanes, floods, and heat waves. As a result, there has been a rise in self-organized housing units, which are built incrementally and are susceptible to risks. The main challenge is to balance durability, functionality, and esthetic appeal over time. Inspired by St. Martin’s self-organized units, this article explores housing considerations in low-income, hazard-prone contexts by emphasizing their temporalities. Integrating insights from a formative study, including a literature review and ethnographic research, the paper draws on Stewart Brand’s “Layers of Change” and the concept of “Flow”. The study identifies layers within self-organized units corresponding to durability, functionality, and esthetic appeal. It delves into their connection with building activities over time, unveiling the temporalities of housing considerations. This exploration leads to the proposition of “Designing for a Flow” as a novel design approach. Offering practical insights within a concise framework, the study provides nuanced perspectives on mitigating housing challenges in low-income and hazard-prone contexts.

incremental housing
low-income housing
resilient design
climate change
extreme weather
layers of change
Stewart Brand
sustainability

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:fa63b1ff-5604-4826-adfe-3a4624dad27e

https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020327

2075-5309

Buildings, 14 (2)

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2024 A.M. Kuś, Nelson Mota, Ellen van Bueren, Antonio Carmona Báez, M.F. Asselbergs