The naked house

While the idea of selling a fully-functional, yet partially finished houses to lower-income populations who will expand and upgrade it over time is not a new concept, it is refreshing to see people thinking outside the box and bringing solutions to the market that, even a few short years ago, would have been unthinkable in the western world.

But when you really think about it, a well-built, yet very basic house will provide 99% of what humans need to be able to thrive, while saving 30% on the initial cost of construction.

Alejandro Aravena pioneered this in Chile in the last couple of decades with great success. What else, if not just our egos, would be a true limitation of that idea for western societies whose housing market has become unaffordable to mere mortals.

Hat tip to Naama Blonder for releasing the interview.