Under Bridge Space 2.0

As both rent and home prices keep growing while inflation does not show any sign of stopping, the housing crisis emerges as a significant future challenge. The challenge is driven by insufficient housing construction, high mortgage rates, and increasing demand. While efforts are underway to increase the low-cost housing supply, solutions are limited while challenges persist.



To reflect the challenge in our design, a prototype is introduced to address the driving factors in the long run. Firstly, the prototype tries to rethink the value of land. Insufficient vacant urban lots and high mortgage rates make conventional housing development extremely difficult. Considering that, the design would like to assign great value to urban enclaves. As commonly seen urban leftovers, under-bridge spaces would be transformed to interpolate the prototype. The ideal sites could take place among bridge intersections, or they could be located underneath a suspended freeway.



Secondly, the prototype would redefine the value of containers by transforming them into standard unit types. The process would minimize labor and new materials to cut down the construction cost. The new unit containers would be mounted onto a concrete structural system constructed between the existing infrastructure. The flexibility of containers enables a series of unit layouts as well as endless possibilities of configuration. Affordable units will be mainly provided for low-income renters as well as residents who are struggling with the housing crisis.



Lastly, the prototype would raise speculation on current codes and regulations. AHJ would like to issue an innovative design standard statewide to accommodate housing construction under the bridge. To demonstrate our idea, the intersection of freeway I-110 and I-105 in Los Angeles is selected, as the housing crisis is becoming a major challenge for the city's development. Knowing the characteristics of the auto city, the prototype would thrive under major bridges at intersections with public transportation and parking.



In short, by redefining future land value, design standards, and public demand, under-bridge enclaves would be transformed into low-cost housing as a new prototype of modern design.