separate schedules within the overall three years of the project. After evaluation, experiences from the pilot projects will be applied on a larger scale as part of Peru's housing policy.
Experience indicates that existing practices are not sufficient to meet the growing demand for urban housing. The whole project is to encourage an experimental approach in three dif ferent areas of housing, to develop new solutions, improve on existing policies and to encourage authorities to invest each year a proportion of their funds on a continuing basis for research and development in housing and community building.
Competition
The international competition was sponsored jointly by the Government of Peru and the United Nations in co-operation with the College of Architects of Peru and the Inter- national Union of Architects. Its terms of reference applied only to the first pilot project and were drawn up to specifically accommodate local con- ditions and resources for architects in collaboration with building con- sultants and other specialists.
This project will develop methods to reduce the cost of houses through improved design and building techni- ques, and raise the quality of house and community environment to accommodate the special requirements and living patterns of low-income urban families.
Approximately 1,500 dwellings will be built in about six groups, using designs and methods of construction based upon projects selected from the
competition. Construction of the houses is expected to begin early in 1970, on a site of 40 hectares some 15 minutes distance from the centre of Lima. The site is part of a new area related to an industrial zone with growing employment opportunities, and additional land is available for expansion.
The competition consisted of two parts: an open section for Peruvian architects from which three projects will be selected and a section by invitation for foreign architects from which a further three projects will be chosen.
The entire group of 13 foreign architects made a field visit to Lima earlier this year and three months were allowed for the preparation of both the Peruvian and foreign projects. Authors of the six selected projects will be awarded equal premiums of US$5,000 each, and additional fees will be offered by the sponsors. De- tailed designs for the houses and a general overall design for the com- munity were called for in the com- petition conditions.
That there are several alternatives and formulae for low-cost housing is recognised by the sponsors. The re- sources of the competition will how- ever be concentrated to fully explore and develop techniques in architecture and building within the general area of low rise, fairly high density and com- pact housing on comparatively small lots in terrace and other formations.
The houses will be designed and built to grow and increase in size to accommodate the changing needs of families. This form of housing and
environment is appropriate for the customs and resources of the popula- tion to be accommodated, and offers considerable scope for many new de- velopments in dwelling and communi- ty design and technology.
With the resources available it was not possible to consider other alterna- tives, such as multi-storey buildings, if serious progress is to be made in a single areas. Other dwelling forms may be carried out by the development group on its own, on a limited and experimental scale within the project.
The project will utilise experience from neighbourhood units and housing already built in Peru, and contem- porary ideas and experiences from other countries adjusted to the con- ditions of Lima. The construction pro- gramme will also include some dwell- ings to be completed and finished later by the home owners with self-help, contractors or other means.
Design and construction of the project will be complemented by an integrated social development pro- gramme covering education, communi- ty development, family hygiene, use and maintenance of houses and ad- ministration of houses and community facilities.
Competitors
The 13 international architects and groups invited to take part in the competition were:
Atelier 5 (Switzerland); Candilis, Josic, Woods (France); Center for En- vironmental Structure: Alexander, Hirshen, Ishikawa, Coffin and Angel (USA); Charles Correa (India); Aldo van Eyck (Holland); Oskar Hanson,
Far East BUILDER, October 1969
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