Designing Affordability at the Shenzhen Biennale

The Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB) is the only biennial exhibition in the world that is based exclusively on the set themes of URBANISM AND URBANIZATION. The event which ran from December 2017 through March of 2018 was Co-organized by the two neighboring and closely interacting cities of Shenzhen and Hong Kong.  Curated by Urbanus, Designing Affordability was selected for entry where the original exhibition incorporated additional information around affordability in Chinese cities. More information can be found here.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

 

 

Designing Affordability in Australia

The exhibition which debuted in New York at the Center for Architecture was remounted in Sydney at the Tin Sheds Gallery.  The exhibition which was reformatted and updated with Australian specific content and projects will be on view through November 2016. The Sydney opening was accompanied by a symposium bringing together architects, planner and other practitioners from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.  It also was incorporated into the Sydney Architecture Festival and the PreFab AUS annual conference.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Learn more about the host and sponsor, The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning. 

Learn more about the major exhibition sponsor, UrbanGrowth NSW

View the Exhibition Catalog

Designing Affordability in the Press

Designing Affordability examines the ways in which architects, engineers, planners, policy makers and ordinary citizens are creating innovative ways to reduce the cost of housing, increase opportunity, rethink the way we live and show new ways to build and maintain structures. Taking on various elements necessary for the production of housing, developers, individuals, governments and architects are designing affordability and creating models for addressing the crisis and creating new opportunities for us all.

The exhibition has been covered widely in articles available below:

 

Hunters Point South Should Be the New Gold Standard for Affordable Housing 

“Right about now, the world’s best architects should be elbowing each other out of the way in a rush to New York.” By Justin Davidson

 

7 Smart Ways to Design Housing That’s Actually Affordable

“There is a big difference between affordable housing and housing that is affordable” By Margaret Rhodes

 These Affordable Apartments Show How We Can Rethink Home Design To Fight Rising Rents

“You can only build so many units given land available and government subsidies. The architects can come in and think about how to lower construction costs and rethink the way we live.” By Jessica Leber

 

A Roof for Everyone:

The Center for Architecture’s “Designing Affordability” opens many more areas for engagement between architecture and activism.  By A.J.P. Artemel

 

“It is sobering to think that a favela might offer a model for New York, but, given the city’s galloping wealth inequality, it might also prove to be prescient.” Full review here

Innovations in Architecture, Policy and Finance

 

Click here for information and updates

 

Designing Affordability at the Center for Architecture

Designing Affordability: Quicker, Smarter, More Efficient Housing Now presents 23 case studies that address ways of reducing costs without compromising design quality. Affordable housing typically refers to policy initiatives that ensure that residents at a certain income can qualify for housing units, but affordability is a broader concept. The exhibition examines how architects, engineers, planners, policy makers, tenants, and homeowners are crafting innovative ways to reduce the cost of housing by rethinking how we build, maintain, and occupy structures.