Archiplan S.A. has won the Industrialized Social Housing Competition organized by Chile's Ministry of Housing and Urbanism. Part of the government's Housing Development Plan, the initiative includes the construction of 60 homeownership units in the Lo Espejo district and 103 fair-rent housing units in the Renca district.
Launched in June 2022, the competition aimed to introduce new technologies to social housing projects. Key advantages of industrialization include a 40% reduction in execution times due to repetitive, standardized, and controlled processes; greater specialization in execution, resulting in fewer subsequent quality control issues; increased sustainability and resource optimization; and improved working conditions for construction workers.
Read on for the project description shared by the Archiplan S.A. team:
For this major challenge, the firm collaborated with Entidad Patrocinante Unión SpA, Tecno Fast, and Constructora Vive. This partnership resulted in a successful early integration of architectural design and industrial processes, combining strict compliance with social housing regulations (DS49) with the specific parameters of a multi-story wood-frame modular construction system.
Simultaneously, the urban design responds to the local neighborhood context, taking into account roadways, neighboring properties, green areas, and other landmarks. This approach ensures each project is unique, driven by a commitment to designing spaces that enhance the quality of life for their residents.
Rather than viewing industrialized construction as a constraint, the team embraced the architectural challenge of developing a forward-thinking design that recognizes the value and advantages of prefabrication, as well as its contribution to economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
With the government's current goal of building 260,000 homes during its term, industrialized housing will be essential to meeting this target. It will enable the timely delivery of high-quality homes to beneficiaries, addressing the country's ongoing housing crisis.
This article was written by Victoria Riquelme. The translation is powered by AI.
