The Prefabricated Connected Towers using Shipping Containers
The extreme density in Dharavi Slum, one of the largest in the world, produce two opposite aspects, one is the unique locality and dynamic energy as a part of greater Mumbai urban dynamics, and the other is the cause of disaster in public health, safety and well-being. The lack of infrastructure, complicated ownership, illegal settlement and poverty make many previous conventional redevelopment efforts a cosmetic dream. Responding to this problem, High-Living, the prefabricated connected towers, can provide radical but realistic cure.
The phasing strategy starting from minimal area for construction is to gradually gain open spaces on the ground and provide quality living/working space in the tower. It can maintain the density vertically, keeping the rich spatial configuration in newly constructed prefabricated modules, while providing innovative solutions in four points; Structure, Life Safety, Sustainability and Happiness (Socio-cultural Well-being).
Structure
Connected towers have multiple connections between towers at around middle-bottom portion to provide lateral stability, creating an arch shape. One exoskeleton frame holds 8 containers and all structural load goes through these frames, not the stacking of containers.
Life Safety
High-Living provides multiple egress routes since they are sharing the means of egress each other. Also, the bridge area is a legitimate outdoor space for refugee of safety.
Sustainability
The large bridge area, created by structural need, will be generous public park, unprecedented in slum. This system can grow slowly to expand the elevated green and free the ground for the next phase of urban planning. All units have generous outdoor balconies; water and air are controlled by the concentrated tower system (single entity).
Happiness
The unit configuration provides lots of porosity (light and air) and gradation of semi public, semi private to private and public area.
Consultant: Bonghwan Kim, Structure engineer
Design Team: Jin Young Song (Design Principal)
Collaborators: Unnati Masurkar, Hashim Ajlouni
Background photos from dominikimseng.com and Google Maps