Comunal: Taller de Arquitectura Social Housing Production
Comunal: Taller de Arquitectura
Comunal is a prototype for social housing with a modular design, including two trusses and an interchangeable panel.
This prototype by Comunal: Taller de Arquitectura, co-designed with the Cooperativa Tosepan Titataniske, was created to follow the 2016 criteria of Mexico’s National Housing Commission that prohibited government funding for designs using traditional materials (such as straw and bamboo) and techniques. Therefore, it avoids using bamboo as the primary structural element. The prototype was built in under a week, using blocks, concrete, imported bamboo, and ECOLAM. The walls are made from prefabricated panels coated with ixtle, a local vegetable fiber, and then mortar. It follows the local tradition of aligning the spaces around the main hall.
*Please note that building designs are being included as “products” in the Habitat Sector of the Solutions Library to allow readers to learn from how projects were designed and constructed and how they serve the occupants, whether effective or ineffective.
Approximately MXN 110,000 (USD 5,500 as of June 2021)
The design was made for the First National Contest for Rural Housing, so it competes with the rest of the designs for government funding.
It can also be compared with Oga’i House, LIFT House, and Multipurpose Hall in Kenya.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Comunal was designed for local indigenous people, Nahuas.
