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Households

Diverse apartment buildings for all

CONTEXT

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A building with a diversity of homes for all is a building that incorporates social, physical and functional diversity, facilitating a variety of people, activities and uses. Diversity can be manifested in the types of dwellings, in multi-functionality within the building or in accesses and forms of tenancy. Not incorporating diversity into apartment buildings means considering a type of resident that is falsely neutral and universal, which means ignoring or not taking into account many people not considered to be “normal”.

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Monofunctional buildings in exclusively residential areas, where all the services are distant and therefore can only be accessed by people with cars, cause isolation in people and therefore physical diseases and an increase in obesity and overweight, mental health diseases like depression and loneliness and an increase in accidental injuries and deaths due to more reliance on vehicles.

Monofunctional buildings with the same type of access to housing and form of tenancy, where all family groupings are similar, contribute to increasing inequalities and social segregation, although it should be clarified that this segregation is produced in the territory not in the building itself.

Non-accessible buildings cause a loss of autonomy and independence and may cause an increase in obesity and overweight, an increase in mental health problems like anxiety, depression, isolation and emotional discomfort (see "Accessible Apartment Buildings").

Accordingly, it is necessary to design apartment buildings with the following characteristics:

  • Mixture of uses (multifunctional buildings). Mix residential use with other uses on the ground floor or even on higher floors, if considered suitable to facilitate access to basic services without the need for a vehicle, and therefore, avoid isolation and favour autonomy and mobility.
  • Mix of housing types (multifunctional buildings), types of access and forms of tenancy. This will make it possible for there to be various types of cohabitation units, both structurally and in terms of income, in order to favour cohesion and mutual support.
  • Accessible buildings for all.It will facilitate the use of the building throughout the life of the people who live in it, and prevent their isolation and the reduction of their mobility and autonomy.
 

OBJECTIVE

  • Include social, physical and functional diversity in residential buildings, facilitating the variety of people, activities and uses.
  • Foster integrated apartment buildings in the urban fabric that facilitate access to services and favour physical activity, and therefore, reduce obesity and overweight, cardiovascular diseases and accidental injuries and deaths.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for the development of housing (public and private)

Foster urban integration

  • Multifunctional apartment buildings mixing residential use with other uses, either on the ground floor or on other floors.
  • Active apartment buildings: include bicycle parking to foster active transport in the common spaces of the buildings or provide a space within the dwellings themselves and in general plan the coexistence of various means of transport.

Foster diversity and social cohesion

  • Multifunctional apartment buildings: mixing different types of dwellings, large apartments with small apartments, four-room apartments with lofts, etc.
  • Buildings with diversity of types of access and forms of tenancy.
    • Private housing with social housing to reduce social segregation.
    • Privately owned homes with rented homes, and other forms of tenancy, to mix social classes and create a socially more enriching context.
    • Public housing (especially for the elderly) with housing for generic groups.

Take into account integration in the urban fabric, services, roads, etc.

  • Diverse and accessible apartment buildings must be integrated into the urban fabric.


Proposals and recommendations for the administration

  • Foster the introduction of health criteria in residential developments constructed in the municipality, with the drafting of building by-laws or regulations (both for new builds and renovations) in order to require their incorporation or introduce recommendations when licences are issued.
  • Give economic aid or benefits to private developments that meet the aforementioned health criteria.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

 

 

  • Habitatges Eco barri Vikki- Helsinki, Finlàndia. 1995. Conjunt amb diversitat tipològica d´habitatges i amb diferents opcions socials d’accés a l´habitatge: 50% de renta lliure, 25% de protecció oficial y 25% de lloguer.
  • Frauen Werk Stadt - Viena, Àustria. 1997. Habitatges que proposen espais multifuncionals que s’adaptin a les etapes vitals de les persones.
  • Schots 1 + 2 -Groningen, Holanda. 1994. Projecte amb mixtura d’usos que ofereix una varietat tipològica d’habitatges, tant en la forma, l’orientació i en l’accés. L’edifici també proposa espais comuns per fomentar la convivència entre veïns.
  • Silodam- Amsterdam, 1995. MVRDV. Edifici que incorpora 157 habitatges de moltes tipologies i règims de tinença diferents.
  • Edifici Walden 7. 1975. RBTA. Edifici de 446 habitatges construït per habitatges de diferents mides a partir d’un mòdul de 30 m2 que permet construir tant petits apartaments , com habitatges de fins a 4 mòduls. El conjunt es construeix entorn a 5 patis amb diferents espais comuns i comunitaris integrats en un complex sistema de balcons i ponts.

 

LEGISLATION

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

  • Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Edificis d´habitatges accessibles"
  • Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Edificis d´habitatges sostenibles i eco eficients"
  • Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Edificis d´habitatges amb espais comuns i comunitaris"
  • Àmbit Planificació urbana. Fitxa "Fem barris per a tothom" 
  • Àmbit Planificació urbana Fitxa "Ciutat accessible per a tothom"

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dt., 29 d’oct. 2019 08:50:39 +0000