Theory
Incremental Housing
Explore in the Atlas →A housing strategy in which residents are given a core dwelling or structural framework - typically the difficult, infrastructure-heavy parts such as foundations, kitchens, bathrooms and services - which they then complete and expand over time according to their own needs and resources. Theorised by John F. C. Turner's 'freedom to build' and 'housing as a verb', it was realised at scale in Balkrishna Doshi's Aranya project in Indore and refined in Alejandro Aravena / Elemental's 'half a good house' at Quinta Monroy, Chile.
Dwelling Collectivity
Details
- Introduced
- 1972
Classifications
- Holder
- Communal intergenerational
- Source of authority
- Lived experience
- Subject
- Human centred
- Political position
- Subaltern resistant
- Mode of transmission
- Text drawing
- Knowledge type
- Relational embodied
- Epistemic cluster
- Western philosophical
Referenced by
- Aranya Low-Cost Housing articulates
- Appropriate Technology relates to
- Balkrishna Doshi proposed
- Quinta Monroy, Iquique articulates
Sources
- John F. C. Turner & Robert Fichter (eds.). Freedom to Build: Dweller Control of the Housing Process. Macmillan, 1972.
- The Architectural Review. Revisit: Aranya low-cost housing, Indore, Balkrishna Doshi. architectural-review.com, 2018.
- John F. C. Turner. Housing by People: Towards Autonomy in Building Environments. Marion Boyars, 1976.
Cite this entry
First published May 2026Last revised Jul 2026
CLAD. "Incremental Housing." Atlas of Architectural Thought. CLAD, 2026. https://www.cl-ad.com.au/research/atlas/theory/incremental-housing/. Accessed July 17, 2026.