Multi-generational and reduced consumption communal housing in Hay-on-Wye

I am looking at innovative ways of solving the housing crisis, which are also sustainable, local, and contextual.

Deindividualising consumption and reducing it to the most essential components are essential to solving the climate crisis.
Renewable energy will be part of the answer, “but only if they go together with a cultural revolution in thinking about prosperity, and the abandonment of growth-driven consumerism.” (Soper, 2019)

This proposal is for affordable and communal multi-generational living in Hay-on-Wye. It maximises sharing between a small community of families and elderly people to reduce individual consumption. Community, sharing, and circular economy are central to the design - increasing the well-being of residents, and their dependence on consumption as a quick release.

I felt that this project successfully absorbed the diverse rural context of Hay and the social nature of the town. I found that testing ideas through different media was an effective way of making decisions as it gave me options, which I could then filter down.