Think social housing equates to bland, monotonous residential blocks? Think again. Defined by their colour, variety, daring design and deft handling of the latest in design technology, the innovative designs laid out on these pages form an explosive and thought-provoking collection that is living proof that creativity can overcome even the most stringent standardisations and arise to bind families and communities together.Here, the ever-difficult conciliation of a minimal budget with optimal results has been achieved with building and aesthetic concepts that are far removed from the usual parameters governing public housing. Thoroughly documented and illustrated, all programs in this book feature the architects own notes, sketches, floor plans and gorgeous, full-colour photographs.

Being related to industrialization and its effects on everyday life, the social housing phenomenon is associated with the rise of the modem movement towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. During that time, new typological solutions based on functionality and standardization were developed to cover the changing needs of the working class. These were solved by the grouping of dwellings (either in rows,blocks or vertically) and by including the minimum amount of space and services, responding to the needs of a nuclear family and its division of activities.Many of these premises are still, to a greater or lesser extent, present today. However, social housing must face the new conditions arising from the transformation of both family and working habits. The original "monofunctional" spatial concept, the sense of a finished product, can no longer give an overall effective solution to present social housing requirements. Social, urban, and economic aspects are now all taken into account in the creation of flexible spaces that can evolve within the framework of a diverse and dynamic social situation.The examples included in this volume are a clear demonstration of the optimization of resources - resources which are, for the most part, very limited - used in this type of dwelling. These projects offer a great variety of typological solutions that are as flexible in their material fulfilment as in their functionality. The ever-difficult conciliation of a minimal budget with optimal results has been achieved in these designs with building and aesthetic concepts that are far removed from the usual parameters governing public housing. Adaptable to all sorts of family groups, from younger people to the eldedy, these projects constitute a broad cross section of solutions designed to ensure a high standard of living and comfort for the needs of the society of the new century.

Delugan Meissl

Francis Soler

KCAP

Francisco Mangado

Marcus Rommel Architekten BDA

Carmen Martinez Quesada

Fuensanta Nieto & Enrique Sobejano

Neutelings Riedijk Architecten

Barto & Barto

Ignacio Capitan

Jacques oHerzog & Pierre de Meuron

Feiden Clegg Bradley Architects

Morales Sanchez & Gonzalez Mariscal

Valene Vaudou & Laurence Allegret

Jose Ramon Sierra Delgado

Grabow und Hofmann

KCAP

Ramon pico &Javier Lopez

lan Ritchie Architects

Delugan_Meissl

Joan Pascual Argente

Catherine Furet

Wiel Arets Architect & Associates

Elisa Valero Ramos

HPP Hentrich-Petschnigg & Partner KG