With many local economies faltering and people nationwide struggling to make rent and mortgage payments, 2021 is shaping up as "the year of affordable housing,” according to regional agencies and nonprofits like NHP Foundation; new design ideas are creating opportunities for greater affordability and attainability of housing across markets, in both the cities and the suburbs.
Economists add that investors, institutions, and policymakers are prioritising affordable housing solutions, as many seek innovative ideas that accelerate development and construction, especially across sectors from student housing to urban infill to the "missing middle” needed in many US towns. Suiting their neighbourhoods and resident needs, the AIP structures are flexible enough for use on vacant lots and properties of any size.
The two architects, Carmi Bee and Peter Bafitis of RKTB, presented the AIP prototype for use to fill gaps in housing not just for students but also for seniors, veterans, young families and workforce households, those earning between 60% and 120% of area median income, or AMI.
Specific features include adaptability for a range of sites and contexts; AIP's housing modules organise eight living units around a glass-enclosed central stair to create visual focus both day and night, adding daylight, bolstering wellness, and creating security visibility by “putting eyes on the street,” says Bee.
The highly efficient modular design optimises land use, minimises materials needed, and reduces both construction and operations costs.
Studied by groups including New York's Public Design Commission, AIP is an environmentally sustainable solution promoting ample cross-ventilation and windows along with stairs to promote healthy, active lifestyles.
The AIP solution is also aesthetically customisable, allowing developers to maintain the scale of the neighbourhood where it is built, and deferring to, or standing out in, the surrounding context, as the developer or agency prefers.
Originally introduced more than a decade ago and developed in applications through the ensuing years, the AIP prototype has been featured in a mayoral report, Designing New York: Quality Affordable Housing, an honour and acknowledgement that city agencies and housing experts see the infill prototype as a model for development.