As the creation of affordable and sustainable housing becomes increasingly urgent, focus has shifted to innovative ways to meet these goals. I found one such example in Amsterdam where Marc Koehler and his design team develop creative solutions for urban living through their Superlofts Project. Broadly speaking, a Superlofts project starts with the bare structural frame of the … [Read more...] about Back to wood construction.
Articles
The importance of community.
When we think about housing, especially in urban areas, we’re not just thinking about a place to rest our head. Instead, housing must include some broader amenities, such as access to transportation, services and jobs. And even more importantly, as more and more people move back from the suburbs to urban neighborhoods, there is an increased focus on finding community. Today, … [Read more...] about The importance of community.
Learning by doing.
With any project, learning from success and failure is important. In real estate, paying attention to and making adjustments based on what works and what doesn’t can have a major impact on the success of both current and future projects. This is especially true for projects that involve unique problems or complex issues that lack clear solutions. In these cases, the ability to … [Read more...] about Learning by doing.
Public-private partnerships and affordable housing.
We are facing a unique and complex set of problems that have combined to create the perfect storm for housing - an affordable housing crisis that is affecting not just US citizens, but people everywhere. We need to find plentiful and innovative solutions. Because the lack of affordable housing is the result of so many different factors, it’s going to take a multi-faceted … [Read more...] about Public-private partnerships and affordable housing.
Affordable and sustainable through simple reduction.
The crisis in affordable housing and the growing awareness of climate change both loom large as increasingly pressing issues. Both real estate investors and homebuyers are increasingly interested in housing that can be both affordable and sustainable. However, most people believe that the two are mutually exclusive – that much higher costs are required to build … [Read more...] about Affordable and sustainable through simple reduction.