Major demographic and socio-economic developments, like technological advancements and political and social interventions, all contribute to the global housing change. Housing has always been a direct reflection of the degree of knowledge of building tactics, accessible building materials, and climatic and cultural factors in residential areas. As a result, it is said that society and its natural surroundings are the makers of many types of houses, which often result in a high degree of architectural style and representation continuity despite the high level of uniqueness due to the lack of building rules.
Following the robust infrastructure grids and the size of regular houses and structures, ancient instances can be discovered in the story of the Greek and Roman settlements. However, with the industrial revolution, indigenous language drivers were fully superseded by a progressive building sector that was interwoven with the establishment of modern urban planning and began imposing clear and robust housing laws. Ground planning and housing development management have led to more housing programs and more efficient housing delivery but at the expense of local communities. Multi-story buildings are introduced as examples of modern and contemporary living, in addition to a single house or villa style.
The word “modern” frequently refers to an architectural style that varies substantially from that of a house built between the 1900s and the 1950s. It’s a set style that doesn’t change and will always be cutting-edge. “Modern style” is a term used to describe modern architecture and design. It’s tough to describe it because it is always changing, affected by previous styles.
Residential building features are essential and effective transformations in city construction. The development of these values is influenced by a variety of social, economic, political, and environmental factors. In urban planning, ignoring elements that influence the scale of residential buildings leads to challenges and uncertainty. The relevance of each of these factors in the design of residential structures has been emphasized by architects and city planners. Single residence and residential housing are the two categories of urban housing. Lower or eight-story buildings and high towers make up the flats themselves. There also arose needs for developing inexpensive housing for workers and low-income groups in cities. It was necessitated by technological advancements, changes in culture and lifestyle, and interpersonal interactions, as well as the movement of large industrial cities.
Specific building aspects such as plan, facade, density, construction materials, space, form, and layout of structures distinguish residential buildings. Recognizing the defining characteristics of these measurements is critical and can pave the path for the building of the ideal city. As a result, in urban planning, understanding the elements that influence these values is critical. Subterranean spaces can be a contentious matter when it comes to municipal development. This is largely due to the word’s ambiguous and constantly changing connotations. Suburbs, in their most basic form, are small towns within walking distance of major cities.
In the United States, suburban neighborhoods are seen as hostile, and racial “re-practices” are seen as a black heritage in some locations. In a broader sense, the regions under American rule are frequently attacked for their resemblances, depicted as soul-less houses devoid of a sense of community.
It’s always been fascinating to live in the city, and it’s just getting more exciting as leading architects strive to design higher. Let’s have a look at some of the most beautiful residential architecture from around the world – and that’s just the exteriors!
1. Habitat ’67, Montréal, Canada
Habitat ’67 began as a McGill University thesis. Moshe Safdie, the architect, altered his organic design and submitted it to Expo ’67, a World’s Fair that took place in Montreal in 1967. The success of Habitat ’67 catapulted Safdie’s career as an architect and cemented his reputation.
Facts About Habitat:
- Prefabricated units
- 354 module cubes, stacked like boxes
- 158 units, ranging from 600 to 1,800 square feet
- Each unit has a roof garden
- Influenced by the 1960s idea of metabolism in architecture
2. Hansaviertel, Berlin, Germany, 1957
Alvar Aalto, a Finnish architect, assisted in the reconstruction of Hansaviertel. Hansaviertel, a small neighbourhood in West Berlin that was nearly destroyed during World War II, was part of a divided Germany with conflicting governmental systems. East Berlin was quickly rebuilt after the war. West Berlin was meticulously reconstructed.
Interbau, an international building show held in West Berlin in 1957, set the tone for planned housing in the city. For the reconstruction of Hansaviertel, fifty-three architects from around the world were asked to participate. Unlike East Berlin’s hastily produced residential architecture, Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and others’ painstaking creations have not gone out of style.
3. Olympic Housing, London, United Kingdom, 2012
A gathering of Olympians gives architects immediate chances to construct modern residential accommodation. London 2012 was no different. Niall McLaughlin, a Swiss-born architect from London, and his firm chose to link a 21st-century athlete’s dwelling experience with imagery of ancient Greek athletes. The McLaughlin team electronically drilled panels for the facade of this stone building using digitized photographs from the British Museum’s Elgin Marbles.
According to McLaughlin’s business website, “the façade of the housing is created from relief castings, based on an old frieze, made from reconstituted stone, representing parades of athletes assembling for a festival.” The imaginative use of building materials, the quality of light, and the interplay between the building and its surroundings were all important to us”. The stone panels help to create an inspiring and joyful atmosphere.
4. New York by Gehry, 2011
New York By Gehry has been the marketing moniker for the project since 2011. For some people, living in a Frank Gehry building is a dream come true. Developers frequently take advantage of an architect’s celebrity status. Humans cannot see without the presence of light. Gehry takes advantage of this biological quirk. He designed a multi-surfaced, highly reflective (stainless steel) skyscraper that changes appearance depending on the surrounding light. Every hour produces a different view of “New York by Gehry”, from day to night and from cloudy to bright sunlight.
Facts about 8 Spruce Street:
- 870 feet tall, 76 stories
- 903 units
- Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, gym, library, media center, and areas designed for more youthful tenants (children)
- Over 200 unique floor plans
- A wave-like facade is created by randomly arranged bay windows on each story, but not on every side of the structure.
- Stainless steel skin
- The building’s foundation is made of traditional brick to blend in with the surrounding structures, while the first five stories were built to accommodate Public School 397 (Spruce Street School).
- Named Skyscraper of the Year, Emporis, in 2011
5. BoKlok Apartment Buildings, 2005
BoKlok (pronounced “Boo Clook”) is the name of the houses, however, it has nothing to do with their boxy form. BoKlok is a Swedish word that roughly translates to “wise living”. Boklok dwellings are similar to IKEA bookcases – basic, compact, space-efficient, and economical. In the United States, BoKlok is a joint venture between IKEA and Skanska that does not sell housing. However, companies in the United States, such as IdeaBox, offer IKEA-inspired modular homes.
The Future: To build better
To stay up with the technological, social, and political developments influencing mass housing, the architect must adapt his or her practice, both in terms of professional management and the way housing is built and delivered. The following are the main components of such a modification of traditional practices:
1. Instead of relying on anonymous statistics and formal precedent, get direct feedback from affected users or user groups.
2. Collaboration and involvement of appropriate professionals, either in-house or as consultants, in architectural practice.
3. Collaboration and participation in technical improvements related to the aforementioned “staging” process (i.e., entering the “black box”).
Recognizing mass housing design as a process-driven activity rather than a product of “linear” single-edition manufacturing (this implies a different fee structure, covering the involvement of architects in the whole spectrum from design to demolition). Most importantly, it indicates a new educational model for training the future generation of architects, one that places a greater emphasis on general process rather than a singular focus on a single result.
