For most Americans, housing is the single biggest expense in their personal budget – for those living alone, the figure equates to more than 40% of after-tax incomecxx – and so an increasingly popular way to reduce this cost is to share housing expenses with others. The co-housing concept, which originated in Denmark and made its way to the United States of America during the late 1980’s, could be a relatively unexplored solution to homelessness which is cost-effective for building supply, as well as investment cashflow, expenditure and return.
Castle Braid, a 125-apartment complex in Brooklyn, New York, is a stunning visual example of innovation in design and build for the formation of a creative community living environment. A free-space which is continually evolving, Castle Braid is described by its owners as a ‘vision of interplay between the individual and the vibrant community they’ve helped to create’. The New York Post chose the building – home of artists, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and inventors – as one of the five most interesting residential sites in New Yorkcxxi.
The developer, Mayer Schwartz, says he aimed to establish an organically-growing community of ‘young professionals in the creative areas’— by having them live together, sharing their skills and pooling their talents. This ethos allows people of a similar nature to not just co-habit, but socialise, work and ultimately, create together. Private living space is complimented by communal areas which are regularly filled by residents and their music, artwork, performance and dance. Whilst visiting I observed communal shows, classes, parties and dining in action.
Amenities— which include a gym, library, screening room, games room and 6,000-square-foot courtyard, barbeque area and attached dog park – afford the goal of connecting residents to be achieved with outstanding execution. Intending to be inclusive to those who can contribute positively to the community, Mr Schwartz has been known to reward residents with periods of free rent in exchange for their artistic services. During my visit, I learnt that a sculptor received six months of no-payment living in return for his creating of Castle Braid’s custom-made iron gate.
The apartment complex hosts a private Facebook group with over 500 active members, with the encouragement to connect with your neighbour extending to an online forum and database of resident skill. The wider community are regularly invited to enjoy the former ribbon factory and all it has to offer, with events for locals regularly held inside the building. The result is a space where residents are free to explore and form close bonds as they add immeasurable value to their continually evolving living environment. There is a strong sense of community and a homely feel throughout the beautifully crafted space, which is highly respected and nurtured by its occupants.
Whilst this residential building project is not responding directly to homelessness or affordable housing issues, there are important lessons we can learn from the design, structure and management of such a unique establishment. One-of-a-kind community-orientated housing services can be enhanced by incorporating their own unique quirks; those which encourage cohabitants to respect and connect with their space, as well as one another. Castle Braid is living proof of the power of collective aspirations, allowing the positive integration of a culturally diverse community within an exceptionally well-cared for and aesthetically beautiful living environment.
Keen to further assess alternative co-living concepts for those individuals experiencing challenging social issues, one of my most unusual visits was to investigate an unconventional solution to a lacking in affordable building options for the homeless and displaced; one with community living at its very core. Theodore "Ted" Hayes, Jr. is founder of Justiceville USA, a non-profit organisation which explores structural alternatives for people who are unable – or even unwilling – to return to a ‘mainstream’ lifestyle. In 1993, Ted founded ‘Dome Village’ as a utopian vision to end homelessness in the city of Los Angeles, welcoming the needy into a small urban community of 18 dome structures on a vacant piece of land.
Each dome – 20 feet in diameter and 12 feet tall – offered a radical and unique, longterm or transitional solution, with space and security for men, women, couples and families with children, as well as their pets. Voluntary support staff provided residents with day-to-day assistance and included within the complex were designated communal spaces for life-enriching activities. A large central dome containing shared kitchen facilities encouraged social interaction around community mealtimes and encouraged people to interact. The village fast developed a supportive, family environment, recognising from the very beginning that people needed to be engaged socially, but would also require their solitude and privacy.
Founded in an old abandoned parking lot next to a freeway in downtown LA, the dome units cost around $10,000 each to build; constructed of polyester fiberglass, were relatively easy to assemble, repair and maintain. During the thirteen-years the village was in operation hundreds of homeless people – singles, couples and families – were given a safe environment where they could re-join with society and begin to thrive. The aim was to gradually and gently transition displaced individuals to stable jobs and communities, with Los Angeles Councilman Ed Reyes, whose district encompassed the village, praising it for its innovative approach at the timecxxii.
Perhaps slightly ahead of its time in the 1990’s, today in 2016 the Dome Village would not appear out of place amongst one of America’s many residential ‘tiny home’ villages. The ‘tiny home’ movement is a description for the architectural and social evolution which advocates living simply in small homes, a way of existence which is becoming increasingly desirable in a modern consumerism-aware world. Tiny homes can allow ingenious use of small spaces, paving the way for exploration into the construction of easy-to-build, durable, mid-term affordable housing. Micro-unit accommodation could prove a popular way to rapidly construct inexpensive, compact, habitual space which has real viability for the affordable marketplace.
Across the globe, residential property is increasing in value and so a key aspect of this Fellowship involved the vital exploration in exceptional design, build and structure of affordable, sustainable housing options. In order to increase housing supply for creative use within the United Kingdom, there are two key areas to investigate:
1.) Ingenious ways of adapting existing buildings which are readily available and convertible;
2.) Newly forming of habitable space, construction of which is both practical and economical.
Creating additional housing for more people without forcing out existing residents is a key dilemma of the housing crisis, in urban areas across the United States of America, as well here in Britain. The micro-living movement allows exploration of community housing methods which are inclusive for all, with the modern trend seeing ‘tiny home’ villages continue to sweep across the USA. Whilst it is difficult to get an accurate estimate of how many people reside in ‘tiny homes’ across the United States of America, there are a growing number of online resource tools which can help to identify existing and upcoming locationscxxiii.
‘Tiny homes’ generally contain all the essential facilities expected of a one-bedroom residence, ingeniously allowing admirable use of a compact dimensional area. Tiny SMART House, an internationally recognised, fully licensed recreational vehicle manufacturer and custom tiny home builder located in Albany, Oregon, build custom units up to 12’ wide and 44’ long, to a maximum of 400 sq ft. They advise that typically, ‘tiny home’ living space footprint (which excludes the trailer tongue and width of the walls) ranges from approximately 120 to 320 sq ft, compared with the average UK one-bedroom home 495 sq ftcxxiv. Standard specification new-build homes in the UK can be constructed for approximately £626.48 per square metercxxv, however I observed budget tiny home structures in the USA with construction costs as minimal as $80 per square meter. Generally, costs range between $10,000 - $80,000 for a completed unitcxxvi.
Using ‘tiny home’ methods to maximise potential output of residential building projects at home, we can diversify available space with adaptations such as;
Likewise, we can build upwards to incorporate storage and reveal a larger area of floor space to work with. If each new development in the UK were able to further increase project efficiency by better utilisation of available space, could additional units of accommodation be added to the design of future building projects? Would mass adoption of these actions make a great enough impact to significantly increase housing supply to those who need it most? Could abandoned or derelict buildings be converted economically in order to safely house communities of people who are estranged from mainstream society?
cxx. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cesan.nr0.htm
cxxi. https://nypost.com/2009/10/07/out-in-the-open/
cxxii. https://articles.latimes.com/2006/oct/29/local/me-dome29
cxxiii. https://tinyhousetalk.com/communities/
cxxiv. https://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAHoldings/PolicyAndInternationalRelations/HomeWise/CaseforSpace.
pdf (Web version unavailable)
cxxv. https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/how-much-will-your-project-cost/ (Web version unavailable)
cxxvi. https://tinyhouseblog.com/tiny-house/how-much-does-a-tiny-house-cost/
Copyright © by Amy.F.Varle, January 2018.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
The views and opinions expressed in this report and its content are those of the author and not of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, which has no responsibility or liability for any part of the report.
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