MIT 1K House

The MIT 1K House aims to improve living conditions in parts of the world where resources are scarce, infrastructure does not exist and natural disasters often strike. The highly inadequate living conditions of poor rural populations is a widely prevailing and under-addressed issue that could be significantly improved.

The design and research for the 1K house is based on three design principles:

Affordability: The price cap of $1000 USD is a rigorous but achievable goal to provide quality housing to a new and emerging market in developing countries around the world. The intent of the price is to allow a large economic group to afford proper housing for the first time.

Livability: Implementing innovative and quality design can provide not only affordable housing, but also housing that improves the quality of life for the inhabitants. This includes providing safety, sanitation and comfort.

Sustainability: Without available infrastructure, 1K House has to harvest energy and treat waste in a self-sustained way. It can be built with a hybrid of the traditional, local and recycled building materials, while also incorporating the latest industrial products.

The 1K House is an MIT joint-research initiative started between MIT's Department of Architecture and the Center for Real Estate in 2008. The goal of this research initiative is to harness the intellectual capacity of MIT faculty and students to improve the plight of the world’s poor with respect to their housing needs. The intent of the project was established: how can design work to improve housing conditions for the billions of people living in poor rural conditions on less than $1 per day?

Publicly available: no
Countries where available: Worldwide
Price range (USD): over 200 USD

documentation, article, or review: http://web.mit.edu/1khouse/designs.htm http://web.mit.edu/1khouse/Prototypes.htm