M a s s H o u s i n g a n d S u s t a i n a b i l i t y
73
MASS HOUSING and SUSTAINABILITY
Harald N. Røstvik
Architect MNAL, Sivilarkitekt Harald N. Røstvik AS, Stavanger, Norway.
Associate professor, Bergen School of Architecture, Norway.
Abstract
The world population keeps growing and just passed 7 billion. Although some have
feared a growth towards 35 billion, if the “high fertility rate scenario” was maintained,
new data shows that the “stable fertility rate scenario” is more likely. The world
population might hence stabilise around 10 billion in 2050 (LE MONDE D 2011).
In 1987, as a response to the need for focusing on housing for the lower end of the cost
scale, the homelessness in developing and developed countries, the United Nations
selected the year as the “Year of Shelter for the Homeless” by organising an
international architectural competition. 123 architects from 44 countries competed in the
final (UIA 1987). Many focused on the energy challenges of housing. This paper recoups
the UN initiative 25 years ago. It contrasts the challenges of developing countries with
those of the developed ones from a North European heat demanding climate, through
two examples from typical mass housing in Oslo, the capital of Norway. One is from right
after the second World War, when in 1948 attempts at building cheap housing was
initiated, but met fierce resistance from the establishment within the engineering and
architecture field (HASSELKNIPPE 1982) and an example is from 2012. The paper also
studies an example from a South European cooling demanding climate, in France.
The aim of the contrasting is to map the progress since 1948. It goes on to discuss area-
and material efficiency and other methods to reduce costs and achieve a sustainable
mass housing development.
Through a comparative analysis, the paper studies the combination possibilities between
the architecture that is built anyway for the upper cost segment and that of the lower cost
segment. It looks for signs of an environmental paradigm shift. It explores and discusses
if experiences and synergies between them can strengthen both and it proposes a way
forward.
Keywords:
Sustainability, Mass housing, Homelessness.
Introduction
Homelessness is a growing phenomenon. It is related to economic development in
nations and regions. Nowadays we see grave cases of homelessness emerging
overnight in European countries that only a few years ago seemed to be developing in a
positive direction as regards economy. Greece and Spain are examples of struggling
economies that show such signs. Italy as well seem to be developing this problem and
unrest among people in parts of England last year also made the alarm bells ring there.
While the consequences of the struggles in Greece and Spain are illustrated with youth
unemployment around 50 percent, there are numerous examples of whole families and
even individual elderly people being put on the street because their housing
accommodation refuses them entry due to lack of payment. Normally the issue is dept
related. People have heavy loan burdens in relation to their payment ability. If illness
strikes, if they loose jobs or have pensions reduced they become vulnerable over night.
Some would say they have made themselves too vulnerable.
