Budapest

Housing

E-Co-Housing - Co-creating a Regenerative Housing Project Together with the Community

“An environmentally conscious district leader should always keep their eyes on the interests of the next generations. We have to handle social problems with respect to the environment while we motivate people to be self-conscious about planning and self care.”

Gergely Karácsony, Mayor of District 14 Zugló of Budapest

The project in numbers

24,4%

the share of housing costs of a total household budget

39%

the share of poor people overburdened by housing costs

2.400 m2

derelict city area will be covered with multi-story prefabricated modular construction

30%

of total proposed additional social housing stock increase

EUR 4,508,055.00

Total ERDF budget granted

Challenge addressed

Housing affordability is a key issue both in Europe and in the District 14 Zugló of Budapest, Hungary. Social housing providers face many problems, e.g. residents with shrinking incomes, long waiting lists, expensive utilities, inefficient energy use, and unsustainable lifestyles producing significant CO2 emissions. The district of Zugló provides more than two thousand units of subsidized housing but most are only one-room apartments and are therefore inappropriate for families. An additional key problem is the lack of high-quality buildings. After several decades of neglect, many units are poorly insulated and have significant problems with damp and mold.

Solution proposed

The main objective of E-Co-Housing is the creation of a regenerative and collaborative social housing community that is co-created by residents to house approximately 100 people in a social community. Considering prevention of urban sprawl, the site of the project is currently not in use. The building will be a multi-story prefabricated modular construction, with different unit sizes to house different sized families (e.g. single-parent, double-income large families, disabled and elderly couples, etc.) that reflect a cross-section of housing needs in Zugló. Low construction costs will enhance affordability and the regenerative use of land and recyclable materials, respecting Circular Economy principles, will contribute to climate resilience and a greener urban environment.

Partnership

City of Budapest, District 14 Zugló Municipality
HBH Strategy and Development Ltd. - SME
Energy and environment Ltd. - SME
ABUD Advanced Building & Urban Design Ltd.- SME
GreenDependent Institute Nonprofit Ltd. - SME
Hungary Green Building Council (HuGBC) - nonprofit association
Budapest University of Technology and Economics - higher education and research institute
HABITAT for Humanity Hungary - nonprofit organisation
Zugló City Management and Public Services Company - infrastructure and public service provider

Expected results

It is expected to reduce the number of residents eligible for social housing on the waiting list by 50% by providing social housing for around 100 individuals drawn from different groups of residents. Zugló will increase its stock of units that is appropriate for housing families with more than two members thus contributing greatly to solving a major local challenge.
The utilization of a currently unused urban site will contribute to the prevention of unnecessary urban sprawl, in addition to the greening of the area and overall urban improvement and the use of recyclable or recycled materials will result in resource efficiency.
A net-zero energy building will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of Zugló.
Re-using wastewater and rainwater, composting, and re-using bio-waste for urban gardening will partly contribute to the goals of the EU action plan for the circular economy.

Main milestones

May 2019: As a result of an integrated design process (IDP), supported with the use of a Building Information Modelling (BIM) system, tender documentation for public procurement prepared for modular multistory regenerative building
Dec. 2019: Expanded socially sustainable and transparent selection criteria for future residents created ensuring tenants highly motivated for cooperation and community development
June 2020: Modular multistory regenerative building with a smart integrative energy and IT system constructed with residential apartments of different sizes and community spaces to be used by all residents, designed and constructed to support collaborative, cross-generational and healthy lifestyle
August 2020: Community development and economic empowerment mentoring programmes (to run until the project end) started enabling the residents to set up and create the framework of a sustainable social housing community
May 2021: Complex multi-scenario feasibility study created for implementation of housing models in Zugló to be adapted to Zugló’s long term housing development programme
October 2021: Validated regenerative urban living and community guidebooks covering different aspects of modern urban living and cohabitation within a community, serving as a tool for wider uptake