Top High-Density Housing Projects around the World

Compact living is part of the fundamental features of new housing design for the contemporary city to increase density, enhance resource efficiency and to server a continually increasing population in cities.

From cities of the Pacific Rim to skyscrapers of the Middle East; green solutions have reinvented urban architecture’s mindset on how density, design and health can coexist.

This blog aims at detailing some of the famous high-density housing projects together with features that make them special and valuable within urban society.

1. The Pinnacle of Vertical Living: Marina City, Chicago, USA

In Chicago there is a pair of towers in the form of corncobs – Marina City – that represents an example of successful high rise housing.

Brickell Park mixed use was designed by architect Bertrand Goldberg in 1960 aimed to be one of the first urban renewal project.

Features:

• Single homes with ground floor retail establishments, offices and leisure amenities.
• Pliant circular layouts offering 360 degree breathtaking city vistas.
• Fixed plant and equipment, such as a marina and bowling alley and eating places.

Marina city is a relevant example of how housing can be of high density and be functional as well as artistic while promoting community involvement within a densely developing core commercial city.

2. Sustainable High-Density Housing: Bosco Verticale, Milan, Italy

Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) is a pair of residential towers located in Milan that have since developed into a symbol worldwide of green buildings and is one of the top high-density housing projects around the world.

This building project developed by Stefano Boeri features innovative facts of integrating greenery in high densities of housing, a major environmental challenge in cities.

Features:

• With reference to the structure: more than 900 trees and twenty thousand plants.
• Fresh air and cushioning from outside weather through the plants.
• Housing spaces specifically optimized to make use of compounds of nature like light and air.

In this project it is shown that it is possible to build high-density housing projects that are friendly to the environment and at the same time provide a pleasing aesthetic form to the city skyline.

3. The Affordable Icon: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong

Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong would pave way for high-density housing projects and accommodation provision for the lower standard of living considering the need for accommodation among these groups.

It is not an upscale part of town, but a practical, dynamic living and working area, a mid-rise neighborhood.

Features:

• Commercial complex having city dwelling units, stores, and dining outlets.
• Large population to the place, which is a sign of inadequate land as a natural resource of this city, which is Hong Kong.
• Many people from different cultures lived in a multicultural community.

Whereas most modern skyscraper designs are criticized for being overpopulation densities like Chungking Mansions, the essence of accommodation, density, and compact living is essential for constructing many tall residential buildings.

4. Innovative Design: Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada

This entails a brief discussion of Habitat 67 which is one of the top high-density housing projects that had been developed by Moshe Safdie.

The main structure was designed for the 1967 World Exposition and it is still standing to date.

Features:

• The structural and design feature is that a total of 354 of the concrete modules are interlocking prefabricated units each of which is arranged in a different manner.
• Balconies for each apartment, doing density with the introduction of individual space.
• Aim at the idea of connecting people through the relevant pathways.

Habitat 67 provides the inner city drawback of high-density living without removing the privacy and the feel for nature found single dwellings.

5. Luxurious High-Density Housing project: One Central Park at Sydney, Australia

One Central Park is one of the high density housing project located in Sydney, Australia which can be termed as luxury apartment and which is famous for the lush green foliage and use of technologically advanced features.

The development was designed by the architectural firm Jean Nouvel & Associates in conjunction with Patrick Blanc and symbolizes sustainable luxury city living at its best.

Features:

• Relief gardens running across the frontage that minimize heat while making structures more appealing.
• A cantilevered device that directs sun rays to those parts of the building which are shaded.
• Multiple occupancy and dwelling, commercial, and leisure areas.

From luxury to sustainable aspect, One Central Park has built a standard of offering higher density housing.

6. Reimagining Social Housing: Quinta Monroy, Iquique, Chile

Quinta Monroy, is integrated with Alejandro Aravena and Elemental as a high-density housing solution to social housing.

Its goal is to provide affordable housing plus and the opportunity is given to residents to build their homes further on.

Features:

• Permanent pre-fabricated housing blocks with simple structures that the occupants can add on and make more complex.
• Reasonable house construction techniques that enables low-income earners to own homes.
• Ability to offer decent space and housing opportunities through efficient use of limited and scarce land.

The innovations used in Quinta Monroy can increasing density of housing enhance the living conditions of people and contribute to the development of communities to the level where higher densities are not only manageable, but are, in fact, the answer to increasing affordability and availability.

Conclusion

Many high-density housing projects around the globe are potential examples of architects, urbanisms and policy-makers’ efforts to improve inhabitants’ quality of life and resilience of urban environments.

These projects range from the elegant vertical gardens to social housing requisite for the growing population and urbanization process.

By studying such high density housing projects we are better placed to analyze how different areas address some of the problems that come with such development including: scarce space, environmental issues and cost among others.

With cities and urbanization extending in their evolution, these solutions act as inspiration for urban settings of the future – rational, beautiful, and environmentally friendly.

Also read: High-Density vs Low-Density Housing: What’s the Difference?