The Habitat

A theoretical model for dense living.

The ‘Habitat’ project is a theoretical attempt at addressing the challenge of high-density development within the contemporary urban condition.

Located somewhere in the Middle East, this model for urban living challenges the all-too-familiar and conventional typology for multi-use development: point towers, segregated by use, rising from a shared support podium.

The Habitat idea is predicated on a somewhat different premise: Inside, a variety of uses are massed as interlocking and interconnected elements that allow for accidental relationships and celebrate shared landscaped public realm spaces.

This model for density addresses critical questions and opens doors for further study in the reinterpretation of traditional urban structures. It responds to its social and environmental context and it proposes an alternative matrix for sustainable development.

The need for a new typology

The impetus behind the research and development of the Habitat model is the observation of the less than satisfactory trends in urbanism over the past century.

The tremendous strains faced by rapidly urbanizing societies, especially in the developing world, necessitate an integrated response that addresses the needs of the population and those of the changing natural environment.

Throughout the 20th century, the great urban centers of the Western world witnessed an unprecedented transformation in the form and density of their built environment. During this period, social, economic and political forces aligned to create high density city centers that, over time, have come to symbolize the achievements of the developed world.

In contrast to these historic developments, the urban centers of the developing world witnessed a somewhat different transformation of their own: Mass migration and high population growth. Scarcity of resources within developing countries also resulted in the emergence of ‘mega cities’, or expansive urban centres featuring populations of 10,000,000 or more.

The physical form of these cities is often comprised of low-rise buildings spread over vast areas, which is evidenced by the sprawl that has come to typify cities such as Cairo, Calcutta, and Sao Paolo.

In a timeline analysis of urban growth, perhaps the most disconcerting of all trends is the inability of society to adequately address the need for infrastructure and support services for a rapidly growing population. Urban sprawl, typically squalid and low in density, presents a challenge to infrastructure growth that is not sustainable in the longer term.

A new model for density

We believe the more recent emergence of higher density communities within Asia and the Middle East presents a unique opportunity to reconcile the best of urban design thinking from the past century while improving on aspects that have been less than successful.

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