Buckingham Palace could be transformed to convert its luxurious 775 rooms and rooftop space into a solution for London’s housing crisis. At least, that’s the idea behind “Affordable Palace,” a tongue-in-cheek proposal from German design firm Opposite Office. The architects have released plans that add a multi-story extension on top of the royal palace and redesign the interiors to eliminate corridors and walls so the space can be repurposed as desired.

These radical changes could house up to 50,000 people within shared community living spaces and “improve the Queen’s social standing” in Britain at the same time. Close-ups of the floor plans show a tight grid of rooms radiating out from eight spiral staircases, and while it looks ab it chaotic at first glance with an open network of rooms lacking privacy, inhabitants would actually just pass into common spaces like living rooms and kitchens to get to their own bedrooms.

Now that Opposite Office has made it easy for this idea to proceed, they say, the ball is in Queen Elizabeth’s court. Benedict Hartl, the firm’s founder, wrote an open letter to the Queen about the plans.

“Your Majesty/To Whom it May Concern, At the moment you Englisher are not to be envied… in addition to the self-made Brexit hullabaloo, there is teh largest housing shortage in history! Large parts of population – ‘generation rent’ are locked out of the housing market. Affordable housing is missing! On the other side there is the 800,000 cost for refurbishing Buckingham Palace :(“

“This is why I thought we can develop a strategy to fix both problems! We developed a roof extension/refurbishment of Buckingham Palace to place social (affordable!) housing on top of the palace. Use your royal power & money to create affordable housing in London. We, as architects help you with this matter. We would be delighted to present our project the ‘Affordable Palace’ to you. P.S. Sorry for any mistakes. I am German.”

The United States currently has a shortage of about 7.2 million affordable and available rental homes for households with incomes at or below the poverty level, a statistic that’s clearly linked to the homelessness crisis. Meanwhile, 8 million Americans spend more than half of their monthly income on rent.

To house those most urgently in need as well as the people who make just enough money to fall through the cracks, cities have to start building more affordable housing as quickly as possible. But that doesn’t mean they should slap up some public housing towers and call it good. To be successful, affordable housing has to offer more than just shelter; it has to be thoughtfully designed to provide a good quality of life to its inhabitants.

In the U.S., the few affordable housing developments that exist often feel like fenced-off prisons, reflecting common attitudes about poverty rooted in the just-world hypothesis – the assumption that, essentially, people get what they deserve. Barriers to creating more affordable housing include city and state regulations that prioritize profitability for developers, and severe cuts to federal housing programs proposed by the current administration.

But some cities are forging their own paths. New York City has set out to build and preserve 300,000 units of affordable housing by 2026, and its Public Design Commission (PDC) published design guidelines for that goal that could become a blueprint for the entire nation.

More Than Shelter: Defining Successful Affordable Housing

“Designing New York: Quality Affordable Housing” lays out best practices in planning affordable housing that “contributes to the quality, character, diversity and experience of New York City’s communities” while improving equity, resiliency, sustainability and health for residents and neighborhoods. The developments should foster density and encourage interaction while presenting inviting, warm, safe and dignified living spaces that are durable, easy to maintain, attractive and accessible by transit, car, bike and on foot. Oh, and they have to be budget-friendly to build, too.

That may sound like a tall order, but the guide includes seven case studies of existing developments that tick off all of these boxes and more, and there’s no reason their success can’t be replicated elsewhere while also being tailored specifically to each location and population. Utopian dreams of affordable housing communities have certainly fallen flat before, like the spectacular failure of the modernist Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project in St. Louis, Missouri, but today most of them read like warnings of what not to do. While the future of affordable housing may center upon open-source technological solutions, PDC’s guide is a step in the right direction that can be acted upon right now, adding to the general discourse about what makes affordable housing successful.

Community-Oriented & Woven Through the Urban Fabric

Integrating affordable housing into the community instead of setting it apart is a great place to start. Not only should they offer easy circulation into transit and segue culturally and aesthetically into existing neighborhoods, they should respond to the priorities of the communities they serve. PDC cites the Frost Street Apartments, a 7-story, 47-unit complex in a gentrified area of Brooklyn by Curtis + Ginsberg Architects as an example.

Not only does it complement the typologies of surrounding architecture and avoid a monolithic appearance with setbacks and a variety of facade colors, it roots affordability into Williamsburg by housing people with incomes at 50%, 60% and 80% of the area median, with eight units set aside for adults with developmental disabilities. On-site support services are available, and residents enjoy bike storage, lots of natural light, bamboo flooring and open kitchens; five percent of the units are pre-adapted to be handicapped accessible.

“How can a building contribute to a sense of community, and help its residents regain stable, independent lives?” asks the Public Design Commission. The Schermerhorn in Brooklyn helps answer that question with 180 studio units for low-income residents and 9 multi-person suites with shared kitchens and bathrooms for formerly homeless single adult residents, all set along day-lit corridors. Preference is given to those working in the performing arts.

The building’s ground floor is home to a dance studio as well as the Mark O’Donnell Theater at The Actors Fund Arts Center, hosting performances by residents, and the entire second floor is devoted to shared spaces, social services and a rear terrace. It’s visually striking, too, cantilevered over a subway tunnel with a facade defined by five vertical channel glass panels.

Sustainability Means Addressing Health, Too

Making a structure sustainable requires more than just going down a checklist of physical attributes. Sustainability should address the health and well-being of inhabitants, too. While the Creston Avenue Residence in the Bronx may include rooftop solar panels, green roofs, low-VOC finishes, formaldehyde-free materials and a rainwater harvesting system, making it one of the few LEED Platinum Certified supportive housing buildings in the United States, it also incorporates community rooms and amenities that open onto a rear courtyard landscaped with native plants, offers lots of views of the neighborhood and encourages the use of stairways.

This building provides housing to people who are chronically homeless or in danger of being homeless, veterans with housing vouchers and households meeting income eligibility requirements, and offers support services to residents. It’s the first building funded by the New York State Medicaid Redesign Team Supporting Housing Initiative, which recognizes housing as a social determinant of health.

Another example cited by PDC is Arbor House in the Bronx by Bernstein Associates, a state of the art affordable housing complex that incorporates a 10,000-square-foot hydroponic rooftop farm that provides fresh produce like lettuce and herbs to tenants. Built in an area where residents have lower life expectancies and higher rates of preventable chronic diseases compared to New Yorkers in wealthier neighborhoods, Arbor House offers an indoor gym, a wide, central day-lit stairway, an outdoor fitness circuit and organic-themed artwork by a local artist to help give the building a sense of identity.

Smart Use of Land and Materials

For Navy Green, a 433-unit building in Brooklyn by FXCollaborative, Curtis + Ginsberg Architects and Architecture in Formation, one key to affordability was the choice to transform a contaminated brownfield into a building that takes up almost an entire city block to accommodate residents with a wide range of incomes and needs. Owned by the city, the land was once a naval prison.

After rehabilitation, it’s a series of four apartment buildings (low-income rental, mixed-income rental, mixed-income condominium and a supportive housing residence) that form a perimeter around a shared green. The buildings are strategically designed to block views of the adjacent Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and a 15-story Navy Yard warehouse. The distinctive facades of each individual building make the complex seem like it was developed over time.

While located in a waterfront neighborhood that’s susceptible to flooding, the Hunter’s Point South Commons and Crossing building by Ismael Leyva Architects and SHoP Architects in Long Island City offers affordable and income-restricted units stunning views while building flood potential into the design. Critical infrastructure is raised to higher elevations and the building is capable of withstanding substantial water loads, with temporary flood barriers integrated into the ground floor.

Of course, these projects don’t just spring up out of nowhere. Many of them receive special state or city funding and are built on land already owned by the city, circumventing a lot of common obstacles to building new affordable housing. But they also address affordability in a holistic way that benefits the city as a whole, avoiding the segregation of low-income residents from the rest of the population and improving their lives in the process.

Designing and constructing affordable housing also requires taking a hard look at what the word ‘affordable’ actually means in relation to the real and growing issue of income inequality in the United States. But the PDC’s “Designing New York: Quality Affordable Housing” gives us a strong foundation for a future of affordable housing that could also include lots of modular, 3D-printed and otherwise technologically advanced structures.

4,500 3D-printed ceramic tiles cover the facade of the ‘Cabin of Curiosities’ in Oakland, an experimental structure showing off how beautiful additive manufacturing can be. The facade consists of two different types of tiles by independent 3D printing studio Emerging Objects: the ‘Planter Tile’ and the ‘Seed Stitch Tile.’ Consisting of sawdust, Portland cement, corn-based bio-plastics and chardonnay grape skins, the tiles create a tactile living surface full of succulents ideal for the Northern California climate.

The ‘Seed Stitch’ tiles mimic the knitting technique for which they’re named, intentionally printed at high speeds to encourage the sort of non-uniformity you’d find in handmade objects – an interesting twist, considering the fact that precision is typically one of the most prized aspects of 3D printing technology. No two ‘Seed Stitch’ tiles are exactly the same.

Inside, the firm has lined the walls and ceiling with translucent ‘Chroma Curl Wall’ tiles with custom relief textures. Additional 3D-printed objects created by Emerging Objects, like lamps and furniture, are scattered throughout the room. ‘Cabin of Curiosities’ is presented as a potential component of a solution to the Bay Area’s severe housing shortage.

Emerging Objects, which was founded by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello, professors at the University of California Berkeley and San Jose University, hopes to showcase the versatility of 3D-printed objects.

“These are not just investigations into testing materials for longevity or for structure, but also a study of aesthetics. We see the future as being elegant, optimistic, and beautiful.”

A political or environmental crisis can be devastating to populations and families – forcing people from their homes and property.  To lessen the human damage and provide a measure of safety and comfort for victims, temporary shelters are an invaluable asset. These designs, however, go above and beyond the standard stock emergency shelters in providing more efficient, affordable and all around more interesting living quarters.

(images via: Vestal Design)

SHRIMP (Sustainable Housing for Refugees via Mass Production) refugee housing units are compact, durable structures that can fold up to fit into 1/4 of a standard shipping container. When you do the math, that means that a single ship can carry housing for over 100,000 people. Each unit houses up to four people, is built of sustainable materials, and can be assembled on-site with only basic tools. And since the units can be set up on solid ground or float on six inflatable pontoons, they are extremely versatile for different types of situations.

(images via: Concrete Canvas)

With more than 35 million refugees worldwide, it’s become clear that housing solutions for displaced people need to be made a priority. Concrete Canvas shelters go a step beyond tents and other short-term shelters with a lifespan of approximately 10 years. They require nothing more than water and air to construct and can be built by crews with absolutely no training. Within hours of a crisis, the shelters can be set up and ready to live in.

(image via: CalEarth)

When Nader Khalili came up with “superadobe” structures in 1984, he intended them to be used in human colonies on the moon. Their practical application ended up being more Earthly in the end, though. Today, his groundbreaking design means that sandbags and barbed wire – two common materials of war – can be used to house those made homeless by war or other disasters.

(image via: GreenUpgrader)

Usually, time and resources are extremely limited after a disaster. Housing the affected population is a difficult prospect when there is no money and few supplies to construct temporary shelters. When Azin Valy and Suzan Wines of I-Beam Design considered this problem, the solution became evident: use shipping pallets. They are inexpensive, abundant, and sturdy, making them the ideal material to use for housing displaced populations. They can be left as-is for mild climates or finished off into a more permanent structure with the addition of solid wall coverings.

(images via: Design 21)

In the aftermath of a disaster such as a tsunami or earthquake, few things are more comforting than a warm, dry place to sleep. The Sanctuary shelter provides that comfort in a new and very appealing way. The biodegradable shelter pops open on its own with no need for tools or tent poles. Inside can be found a dry towel, biodegradable sandals, a first aid kit, and a warm blanket. The water-repellent material is insulated to keep residents safe, and the top of the shelter even features a reflective “X” to help rescue helicopters find those who need assistance.

(image via: Inhabitat)

For $35,000 you may expect a more permanent housing solution, but this recyclable cardboard house is an impressive temporary shelter. It goes up in less than 6 hours and comes with a composting toilet and water collection system. The pre-fab cardboard house started out as a concept but grew into an actual product. Sadly, it looks like the website to buy the cardboard houses is no longer operational, but you might be able to get the same effect for the same price with about 35,000 cardboard moving boxes.

(images via: Studio D)

Following a disaster, displaced people may find themselves crowded together in inadequate or makeshift shelters. Studio D‘s concept for temporary shelters would give each person their own living space and a place to keep their own possessions. The shelters use common materials and are simple to erect, making them an ideal choice for housing and protecting those made homeless due to any type of disaster.

(images via: Archimintak)

Finding and constructing housing for displaced people requires a dependable way to get the building materials to the site. These temporary emergency shelters come packed two to a shipping container and can be delivered via truck or cargo ship. The ingenious design includes a center piece that pops up via hydraulic pump, creating separate living and sleeping spaces. Photovoltaic cells and a rainwater collection system make these shelters the ideal way to deliver functional housing to any disaster site.

(images via: Exo and Club Tread)

When climbing a mountain or hiking in a remote region, it’s not unusual to see emergency shelters dotting the landscape. These shelters have helped plenty of people escape harm in case of avalanches or stay safe while awaiting rescue for some other type of emergency. The type of shelter depends on the landscape and the particular dangers of that area. The “apple” shelter on the left can be found in Castle Rock, Colorado. Golden Ears Emergency Station, on the right, is located in Golden Ears Provincial Park, British Columbia.

(image via: IEA-PVS)

When the Lisbon Ideas Challenge asked for innovative Photovoltaic (PV) applications, the Basic Housing Unit for Urban Natural Hazards was one of the most intriguing entries. The temporary housing unit incorporates a PV film and inflatable structure, making it an ideal way to house displaced urban victims of natural disasters.

(image via: Yanko Design)>/h6>

The “Sphere” design from Felix Stark provides for not only the basic physical needs of disaster victims, but the social needs of displaces people as well. The center of these tents can be used as a meeting place for residents, while individual units can be used to maintain privacy and personal space.

(images via: University of Michigan)

Inspired by the stackable plastic beds used in overcrowded prisons, University of Michigan professor Allen Samuels devised a clever way to house refugees. His temporary huts are made of biodegradable, easy-to-clean, lightweight plastic. The wheels on one end make it easy to move around, and there is even a bit of room to store personal belongings.

(images via: Inhabitat)

Time is of the essence when disaster strikes. Hours are precious, and if affected people can be housed right away the impact of a disaster can be greatly minimized. The reCover shelter is designed to be a first-response shelter for those forced from their homes due to disasters or evacuations. It can be used for up to a month and can house a family of four. The structure folds flat for storage and transportation, making it easy to transport a large number of them to where they’re needed.

(images via: Campist)

When you’re stuck out in the elements or simply get separated from a group, staying in place and waiting for help may be the best idea. The Cocoon Emergency Shelter from designer John Moriarty is intended to keep you warm and safe until help arrives. You simply hang it from a tree or any other off-the-ground location, then climb inside and let the insulated materials keep you warm.

(image via: Hexayurt)

For about $100, refugees can be sheltered in Hexayurts: sturdy and space-economical structures meant to temporarily house those in need. In less than two hours, a cardboard Hexayurt can be built and ready to move into. If you have a bit more time and money, Hexayurts can be built from nearly any building material available.