Skyscraper vs. Slum The two most urban structures with the highest density in people, are probably the most contrasting structures we can imagine. While the upper class neighbourhoods in develop countries consist of luxurious high-rise, the poorest areas of the world are self-constructed habitats known as slums, villas miseria, favelas, bidonvilles and shantytowns, mainly consisting of low-rise. This proposal translates the qualities of skyscrapers into practical solutions for the vertical slum.

The Vertical Slum proposal combines the best of both worlds. On the one hand it takes the infrastructure, planning and height (max. 6 stories) of the modern skyscrapers. On the other hand the informality, the human scale, the relation with the street and the social communities of the informal slums. In this structure we will ensure a natural ability to grow and reach an incremental urban tissue, leaving space for public functions to arise.

The building layout for this proposal is based on three different scale levels, each incrementally shaped by the residents to a high degree. These scale levels make it possible for the building to connect with the citizens’ needs as well as to adjust towards the structure of the existing neighbourhoods. From individual spaces to urban structure, these scale levels consist of: the modular room/the dwelling, the compound and the building in its urban context.