Concentration is a condition of our cities, especially throughout the 20th century, the era of the explosive development. From Le Corbusier to Mario Pani, that social and economic circumstance has determined (and even distorted) housing as a creative dimension. We tend to admire massive housing projects because they are the definite proof of human willpower, but we think that many of them are also the unaesthetic remains of a paradigm no longer useful or desirable. It has to do with some form of disregard for the individual as a dweller.

Indeed, development that occurs exponentially, and whose design ignores the human dimension, will always be wracked with difficulties, such as the lack of common areas, scarcity of services and, even worse, the dwellers’ diminished sense of belonging to the place and time. In this light, people must be the first consideration in any proposal of the use of public space. This principle guides us when we, as a creative unit, as an architectural atelier, design in terms of “concentrated habitats”.

To be more specific, we declare that good and empathetic design not only takes security, privacy and permanence for the residents into account, but also gives dignity back to the increasingly concentrated habitats by cultivating public spaces for the healthy development of communities.

We want to put forward creative solutions to overcrowding, not only because it is often linked to the scarcity of basic services, but also because overcrowding usually opens a rift in our sense of belonging to a place and a time. In this light, we use both new and old approaches to reinvigorate concentrated habitats and rekindle a sense of community.

Text: Pablo García
Graphic Design: Romain Roy-Pinot