Combining construction and affordability, Holcim and Normar Foster’s new housing project provides sustainable, and dignified housing for people displaced by crises while addressing global housing challenges through cutting-edge design and eco-friendly construction techniques

Venice, Italy

Essential Homes Research Project by Holcim and Normar Foster focuses on developing sustainable, rapidly deployable housing solutions aimed at addressing urgent needs in the humanitarian sector, particularly for displaced populations or those affected by natural disasters and conflict.

This prototype installation is presented during this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the Time Space Existence exhibition, aimed at showcasing architectural and material solutions to provide secure, sustainable, and affordable housing for all.

The project has been awarded a 2024 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The Essential Homes Research Project comprises a housing model designed by one of the world’s leading architecture practices to meet essential human needs, including safety, comfort, and well-being.

Primarily aimed at addressing the issues facing the 103 million displaced people, of which 1 out of 3 are children, the project also has the potential to benefit the further 1.6 billion people currently living in inadequate accommodation worldwide.

The prototype is the result of a pioneering partnership between Holcim, an innovative and sustainable materials solutions supplier and the Norman Foster Foundation.

Norman Foster led the design of the housing concept to meet the needs of displaced communities, addressing the fact that displaced people and families often live in substandard, temporary settlements for periods, often stretching to decades.

Holcim brought the project to life with a range of sustainable building solutions, making it low-carbon, energy-efficient and circular.

The materials cost of a fully equipped 54 square meter home is estimated at 20,000 Euros.

The design of Essential Homes is modular, based on an adaptable process, meaning that homes can be easily produced, and expanded according to need.

Circular by design, at the end of use, each modular component of the Essential Home can be reused or recycled.

A comparison of the prototype with a regular brick-and-mortar house of the same surface, based on a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment, shows significant sustainability benefits: the prototype has a carbon footprint of 5,9 tons of CO2 compared to 19,9 tons of CO2 for a regular house – a difference of almost 70%.

The project includes a range of sustainable building solutions, including: Low-carbon rollable concrete sheets serving as an external shell, providing physical safety.

Permeable pathways made of low-carbon concrete connecting the homes, including light-absorbing aggregates reflecting natural light at night, reducing energy use and light pollution.

Energy-efficient insulation systems from boards to low-carbon aerated concrete foam to ensure thermal and acoustic comfort.

Foundations made of recycled construction aggregate materials, further driving circular construction.

The Essential Homes Research Project opens a fundamental conversation about how to make sustainable building possible for all.

The project is presented as a conversation starter on how the architects could build Homes rather than Shelters, and Communities rather than Camps.

Overall, Essential Home places sustainability at the heart of housing innovation.

Project: Essential Homes Research Project
Architects: Holcim in partnership with the Norman Foster Foundation
Lead Architect: Norman Foster, Norman Foster Foundation
Design Team: The Norman Foster Foundation
Client: Holcim Group Services Ltd.
Photographers: Chiara Becattini and Mika Cartier