CHEAPER BETTER BUILDING

ROTTERDAM, 2007

In the summer of 2007 we were invited by Eric Staal, director of the housing corporation Vestia, for a talk concerning cost development in housing projects. Staal asked specialists in the realm of design and construction how they perceived the increasing number of publications about the uncontrollability of building costs. Our participation in this conversation lead to the commission for a research project about a cost-reduced design approach, with the Rotterdam neighbourhood Africanerwijk as the case study. The remarkable outcomes of the study have been collected in the booklet `Beter Bouwen’.
Our proposals were based on the observation that a lot of money is lost in a miscommunication between the makers of the housing program (housing amounts, types, mix) and the designers, who start working having their own agenda. Examining the program, the location, and the internal contradictions beforehand can result in great savings in the structure of the design. These savings can lead to a higher quality of housing, such as improved and bigger outside spaces, extra ceiling height for larger spaces and a higher quality of building materials.