"good design helps" what?

Do you think good design improves quality of life?

well of course.

but i suppose you need to qualify "good" and "bad" design as well.

"affordable" housing isn't a design issue so much as it is an economic concern. that is, housing is what it is...the challenge is whether or not people can comfortably absorb the financial burden of living in that housing.

ambient, I think you won't find any respondants on an architecture forum saying good design is unimportant

I love to be the devils advocate...but I think the term "good" is so very subjective that I hate it when people use it as if we all have telepathy of some sort.

In the case of affordable housing puddles is right....it is a matter of housing and economic costs...in most cases size is sacfriciced for this reason...so it would be a good design if space use was maximized..perhaps with built in storage/furniture, or some type of multifunctional feature...for example storage and plumbing on the south/west wall to absorb heat gain (in southern climates) and vice versa for northern climates to reduce utlitlities.....making a minimum of plumbing vents. using 2x6 studs at 24" O.C. and utilizing cheap readilly availiable materials....

this design paradigm changes as architects switch to the "shock and awe" stratagy of gerhy, morphosis and any othe starachitect who vies for the union of egotistical client and egotistical designer....which if you are living in reality does nothing for the actuall improvement of everyday life for most people outside the "inteligensia" and "gliterati".

the rest of us are "wal-mart architects" trying to deliver a product not a statement at a minimum of means, this can still only be acheived by using inovation and creativity.

caleb.....i think i hate you.

why?

don't hate the playa...hate the game

i hate the helmut you were and your mascot as well

i hate the helmut you wear and your mascot as well

I'm in the middle of working on an entire mixed -use subdivision of affordable housing. First off affordable for us in Whistler is keeping building costs below $190.00/ sf ( Canuck bucks ) that seems like a ton and it is but given the difficult terrain issues often faced and being in the middle of a hyper sensitive construction cycle pre-olympics its a challenge.

The big issues we need to resolve / explain are;
- building costs are out of the developers control, its a market condition so live within your means and keep the scope of work to a min., kep things simple.
- lot prep will be done at the same time that the streets are serviced and backfilled to a set grade. Huge economy of scale
- implied smart growth principles ie grow homes that can be adapted and be added to as they can afford it or as their live situation requires.
- prefab can be a great way to deliver quality in a condensed time frame.
- allow for sweat equity in projects ie let owners use their own skill set to finish to their specs, ( encourages owners to fill as though the homes are truly theirs.
- delivery of product has to be effective and efficient ie building systems that can be erected fast, without a loss of quality.

just some of the thoughts that our group has had to consider.

the short answer is yes. The long answer is a thesis. The real question is whether architects get the right training in order to develop and create "good design for affordable housing" (or any building for that matter).

Here are some starter references:

Good Deed Good Design (I and II)
Studio At Large [although more academic related]
Rural Studio books [again academic related]
The Home House Project. [SECCA]

PAP would kill me for this but you can download this NEA publication on University related 'good design' here for free.

Naturally I was going to plug ours (we have an essay on 100 years of affordable housing and humanitarian design) but it won't be in the stores until late March.

Hey Cameron thanks this is a really great resource.

also answered some questions i'd had about the two yale programs.

I think that what's been left out of this discussion is that for most people who actually need affordable housing, they also have numerous socio-economic and class issues to face as well.

I'm working on an affordable housing project in DC. It's given me a reality check on my expectations of the power of design.

I think that good design can help people cope with the other obstacles a bit better, but at the end of the day, a guy working three hourly-wage jobs to feed his family has a lot more to think about than design. He would probably value affordable daycare, healthcare, safe neighborhoods/schools, and affordable, accessible transportation more. You can't provide just one thing, affordable housing, without other services to measurably improve people's lives. Shelter is important, but it's not the cure for all of society's ills.