AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.06.2005, Side 56

Micro-housing: A possible solution to the housing problem?
/ íbúð þeirra Ábalos & Herreros er "hortus conclusus “
órjúfanlegur þáttur í lífi Miðjarðarhafsbúa. / In the flat by Ábalos
& Herreros is a “hortus conclusus’’ an unseparable part of
Mediterranean living.
Halldóra Arnardóttir, Architecture Historian and Javier Sánches Merina, Architect
The property market in Spain faces
a huge problem. Rapid social
change has resulted in an extreme
shift market and an increased need
for solutions that meet the changed
finacial and domestic conditions of
the public. Last April the Spanish
government put forward a new
proposal for cheap and very small
flats for rent and opened the dis-
cussion into what is considered
“proper” housing.
The Spanish case
Prices in the Spanish real estate
market have increased over
the last few years. Rapid price
increases have also affected the
building industry. The price of
building sites and ousing is high,
as demand is great. This has
resulted in a large group of young
people living with their parents
until well after the age of thirty.
In order to diagnose and find a
possible solution to this problem
the newly elected government
established a hitherto unknown
Ministry, The Ministry of Housing. It
initiated research into social hous-
ing with the basic design goals
of flexibility, technical innovation,
ecology, low maintenance and the
use of renewable materials, and
above all, economic accessibility.
The Ministry sought models from
different countries, in particular
Finland, where it was maintained
that thousands of young people
lived in 18 to 45 square metre flats.
Santiago Cirugeda notaði endurunnin
efni sem auðveld voru til vinnslu.
(© Oriol Rigat) / Santiago Cirugeda
used reclaimed materials that can
easily be manufactured.
(© Oriol Rigat)