# Low-Cost Housing Designs Alejandro Aravena of Elemental Creates Free Public Housing By Meghan Young | Published 2016-04-08 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alejandro-aravena References: [fastcodesign](http://www.fastcodesign.com/3058695/get-free-housing-designs-from-a-pritzker-prize-winning-architect/1) & [elementalchile.cl](http://www.elementalchile.cl/en/noticias/) As the saying goes, nothing in this world comes for free and yet Alejandro Aravena is set on dispelling that belief. He along with his design firm Elemental has created four low-cost housing designs that will be free to the public. Free! They were created in an effort to "use architecture to solve the global housing and rapid-urbanization crisis by making its work more accessible," writes Fast Co Design. Dubbed Incremental Housing, Alejandro Aravena's project relies on the idea that people can easily and affordably build a structure and adapt it to their needs over time themselves. He essentially hopes to put tried-and-tested plans online for people to follow, bringing them to life all on their own. That's an incredible concept. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 6.1/10 - Popularity: 96% | Activity: 78% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/architecture) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Incremental Housing:** The trend towards incremental housing encourages people to easily build and adapt affordable housing structures over time. - **Free Public Housing:** The trend of providing free public housing aims to address the global housing crisis and make architecture more accessible to all. - **Do-it-yourself Construction:** The trend towards do-it-yourself construction empowers individuals to construct their own housing using tried-and-tested plans available online. ### Who This Affects Most - **Architecture:** The architecture industry has an opportunity to disrupt traditional housing models by providing incremental, adaptable designs for affordable housing. - **Construction:** The construction industry can capitalize on the trend of do-it-yourself construction by providing resources and materials specifically tailored for self-built housing. - **Social Housing:** The social housing industry can innovate by offering free public housing solutions to address the global housing crisis and improve accessibility. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Low-Cost Modular Prototype Housing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/industrialized-building-system-prototype.md) - [Reinvented Compact Living](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/affordable-housing-prototype.md) - [Disaster-Ready Housing Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/essential-homes.md) - [Housing Collective Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/la-comunidad-habitacional.md) - [Affordable Housing Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiny-house-1.md) - [Accelerated Modular Housing Construction](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dabid-baker-architects.md) - [Inclusive Social Housing Projects](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/85-social-dwellings-in-cornell.md) - [Social Housing Unit Blocks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/54-social-housing.md) - [Affordable Social Housing Campuses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-atrium-at-sumner-houses.md)