Las Anacuas Social Housing
Delivering affordable social housing in Mexico with residents self-building the finishing touches
In the Mexican housing market, the most affordable housing options start at $30,000 dollars, which is out of reach for lower income households. The design firm, Elemental, improved upon their 2003-built project in Iquique, Chile to create an efficient, high-quality design, costing under $20,000/unit in Monterrey, Mexico. The 48-unit housing project is laid out with studio units on the ground floor and two-story duplex apartments on top, forming a 3-story stacked triplex repeated in a row around the perimeter of the site. The project saves money by allowing the future occupants to self-improve the final finishes of each of the 775-square foot units (seventy-two square meters). Las Anacuas Social Housing is Elemental’s first project outside of Chile.
2010
Built
Prospective Sites
Overview
![]() 31 units units |
![]() 8 bedrooms |
![]() 4 stories Midrise |
![]() 200 SF Footprint |
![]() 35,000 Total SF |
![]() 350 SF/Occupant |
Proposal Origins
Designed Santiago, Chile |
Produced Monterrey, Mexico |
Located Monterrey, Mexico |