The Essential Homes Research Project is a prototype installation presented at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the Time Space Existence exhibition, aimed at showcasing architectural and material solutions to provide secure, sustainable, and affordable housing for all. It comprises a housing model designed by one of the world’s leading architecture practices to meet essential human needs, including safety, comfort, and well-being. Primarily aimed at addressing the issues facing the 103 million displaced people, of which 1 out of 3 are children, the project also has the potential to benefit the further 1.6 billion people currently living in inadequate accommodation worldwide.
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Essential Homes Research Project
Sustainable Architecture (Under Construction)
Firm
Holcim and the Norman Foster Foundation
Architect/Designer
Norman Foster
Design Team
Norman Foster Foundation, Holcim Innovation Hub, Holcim
Location
Venice
Country
Italy
Photographer/Copyright
©Chaira Becattiini, Mika Cartier, Norman Foster Foundation
The prototype is the result of a pioneering partnership between Holcim, an innovative and sustainable materials solutions supplier and the Norman Foster Foundation. Norman Foster led the design of the housing concept to meet the needs of displaced communities, addressing the fact that displaced people and families often live in substandard ‘temporary’ settlements for periods, often stretching to decades. Holcim brought the project to life with a range of sustainable building solutions, making it low-carbon, energy-efficient and circular.
Construction and affordability were key issues addressed in the project. The materials cost of a fully equipped 54 square metre home is estimated at 20,000 Euros, while a smaller, 18 square metre version offering basic protection would cost 4,000 Euros. The design of Essential Homes is modular, based on an adaptable process, meaning that homes can be easily produced, and expanded according to need. The light-weight structure can be built without the need for traditional foundations the resulting buildings can be arranged to form streets, squares and other social urban spaces. Circular by design, at the end of use, each modular component of the Essential Home can be reused or recycled.
A comparison of the prototype with a regular brick-and-mortar house of the same surface, based on a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment, shows significant sustainability benefits: the prototype has a carbon footprint of 5,9 tons of CO2 compared to 19,9 tons of CO2 for a regular house – a difference of almost 70%. The project includes a range of sustainable building solutions, including:
- Low-carbon rollable concrete sheets serving as an external shell, providing physical safety.
- Permeable pathways made of low-carbon concrete connecting the homes, including light-absorbing aggregates reflecting natural light at night, reducing energy use and light pollution.
- Energy-efficient insulation systems from boards to low-carbon aerated concrete foam to ensure thermal and acoustic comfort.
- Foundations made of recycled construction aggregate materials, further driving circular construction.
The Essential Homes Research Project opens a fundamental conversation about how to make sustainable building possible for all, and about building Homes rather than Shelters, and Communities rather than Camps. Overall, Essential Home places sustainability at the heart of housing innovation. Scaling up these principles and products within the wider built environment, including infrastructure, residential buildings and commercial premises, could significantly reduce worldwide carbon emissions.