Gallery: Affordable Housing That Families Design and Build Themselves
Alejandro Cartagena01Casa Caja 8
Monterrey, Mexico-based architecture firm S-AR has a new idea for an affordable housing initiative.
Alejandro Cartagena02Casa Caja 14
Rather than building houses for families in need—like Habitat for Humanity might—S-AR is working with locals who own land, to custom design and construct their houses.
Alejandro Cartagena03Casa Caja 10
There's ample need for this: Mexico has been in a housing crisis for the past several years. There's a deficit of some 9 million homes.
Alejandro Cartagena04Casa Caja 7
Because government-funded affordable housing initiatives can lead to a one-size-fits-all solution, S-AR wanted to make it possible for some homeowners to get involved during the blueprinting stage.
Alejandro Cartagena05Casa Caja 20
Local businesses donated the concrete blocks, plywood, and glass panes for windows.
Alejandro Cartagena06Casa Caja 21
No costs went into construction or contracting, because that’s already the owner’s expertise: the patriarch of the family works in construction.
