Rethinking the Communist-era Suburb: A Way to Ecosocial Housing

Overview

One of the major problems in contemporary architecture is that most people are not satisfied with the environment of the monotonous concrete jungles left to us by the communist era. The goal of my project was to reach the full potential of the communist-era blocks of flats, transforming them into modern, environmentally friendly housing supporting vibrant community life and high living standards. Logistically, it would be impractical to build entire new suburbs. Hence, I proposed revitalizing current residential structures such that they meet the criteria of healthy housing. I researched global best practices in life quality and sustainability in suburban settings, and, after considering their replicability, applied this knowledge to a street in Brno, Czech Republic. My project provides an example of how to radically improve the lives of ordinary tenants. I determined the basic problems of suburbs built in the communist era and designed a detailed plan affecting the surroundings. I found that such neighborhoods typically suffer from too much concrete and a lack of adequate amenities, such as proper access to public transport or public spaces for socializing. I proposed cheap, easy and aesthetically pleasing solutions to these issues. To make the project more scalable, I used methods that are easy to replicate elsewhere. To put my ideas into practice, I presented my project to the city council, which motivated the city mayor to explore ways to implement it. Together we have met the local citizens and initiated a public procurement for complex revitalization of the street based on my project.

Competition history

• ISEF 2016 Category not listed · Entry ENEV001 Affiliated fair in Czech Republic

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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