This document summarizes the Experimental Housing Project (PREVI) built in Lima, Peru between 1969-1973. The project comprised 1500 row houses on 40 hectares of land for low-income families. It used an open design approach with 24 different house designs and construction methods. The goal was to regulate the uncontrolled urban growth. The flexible and adaptable housing units allowed residents to modify and expand their homes over time. PREVI became a dense but diverse community where residents from different social classes chose to stay. It served as a model for integrating top-down planning with informal growth.

1. DESIGNED AS A PLATFORM FOR CHANGE
PREVI
HOUSING

2. “PROYECTO EXPERMENTAL DE VIVIENDA’’
DESCRIPTION : THE EXPERIMENTAL HOUSING
PROJECT : OPEN URBAN DESIGN
CONSTRUCTION PERIOD : 1969-1973
LIMA, PERU

3. CITY DENSITY : DESERTED
PREVI : A DENSE URBAN COLLAGE
8KM NORTH OF LIMA’S DOWNTOWN
SITE AREA : 40 HECTARES
1500 HOUSES
8-10 PEOPLE PER UNIT
ROW HOUSES UPTO G+2
FOR LOW-INCOME GROUP
5% LOW THAN AVE. HOUSE PRICES

4. PREVI : TO REGULATE UNSTOPPABLE FLOW OF
PEOPLE TO URBAN AREA
1ST PHASE :
500 HOUSES
2ND PHASE :
1000 HOUSES
(NEVER
HAPPENED)
SOLUTION TO
THE CITY’S
HOUSING
PLAN
PEOPLE
BUILDING
INFORMAL
SETTLEMENTS
INADEQUATE
GOVERNMENT
HOUSING
SCHEMES

5. SITE LAYOUT
PREVI : 24 DIFFERENT DESIGNS AND
CONSTRUCTION METHODS
CHARLES CORREA
DESIGN

6. PROPOSAL BY AR. CHARLES CORREA
PREVI : RELEASE FROM CONFINEMENT
BETWEEN PARALLELWALLS

7. • EACH UNIT CONNECTED WITH COMMUNITY SPINE
• CENTRAL DOUBLE HEIGHT SPACE
• HOUSES PLACED NNW-SSE
• ZIG-ZAG STRUCTURAL WALLS USED TO LOCATE
SERVICE ELEMENTS
• STRUCTURAL FLEXIBILITY DUE TO SHORT SPAN
• CONDUCIVE TO NATURAL VENTILATION
D
E
T
A
I
L
E
D
P
L
A
N
S

8. •EACH UNIT :
TERMS OF ITS
OWN GROWTH
•THE SHORT SPAN
HOUSING OFFERED
CONSIDERABLE
STRUCTURAL
FLEXIBILITY WHICH
COULD BE EXPLOITED
BY THE OCCUPANTS.
•THE FUTURE STAGES
COULD ADD FIRST
FLOOR BEDROOMS
AND BATHROOM.

9. •UNITS CAN BE PLACED IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT
SEQUENCES.
•VARYING PROFILE ALONG PEDESTRIAN STREET TAKES
ADVANTAGE OF PREVALENT BREEZE.
•LOVERED AIR SCOOPS OVER THE DOUBLE HEIGHT FOR
CROSS VENTILATION.
PREVI : INFORMAL GROWTH + TOPDOWN PLANNING
PEOPLE DIDN'T MOVE OUT AS THEIR
FINANCIAL SITUATIONS IMPROVED.
RESIDENTS STAYED, AND TURNED A
HOUSING ESTATE INTO WHAT FEELS LIKE
A MIDDLE-CLASS COMMUNITY.
DURING THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP (IN
WHICH PERU RARELY FEATURES) THEY
WILL SUPPORT THE COUNTRY WHOSE
HOUSE THEY LIVE IN.

10. • SEPARATE DOORS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND
VEHICULAR ENTRY.
• FRONT PORCH OF EACH UNIT CONNECTS
THE COMMUNITY SPINE.
• PORCHES AND BACKYARDS ACTS AS
TRANSTION AREAS BETWEEN PEDESTRIAN
AND CAR AREA.
THE HOUSES WERE NOT THE END BUT THE BEGINNING

11. FLOATING SLAB (REINFORCED CONCRETE PLANK)
COMPOSITE BAMBOO BEAMS AND PLANK
MORTARLESS CAVITY WALL
MATERIALS
IN THE END, PREVI
BECAME AN ANOMALY:
A HOUSING
LABORATORY
CONTAINING SO MANY
DESIGN IDEAS, THAT
WAS SO DIVERSE AND
ADAPTABLE THAT IT
CAN PROBABLY NEVER
BE REPEATED.

12. PREVI TODAY !
“SUCCESS OF EACH TYPOLOGY IS BASED ON HOW
EXTENSIVELY THEY HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED”

13. BIBILOGRAPHY
“WITHOUT MALLEABILITY YOU CAN NOT HAVE CULTURAL EXPRESSION-
ALL YOU CAN GET IS A TOP-DOWN NOTION OF HOW PEOPLE SHOULD LIVE”
- CHARLES CORREA
HOUSING AND URBANISATION – C.C.
OPEN HOUSE INTERNATIONAL – VOL37
PARTICIPATORY DESIGNING - HECTOR
PREVI: ARCH., POLITICS, UTOPIA
PREVI/LIMA. LOW COST HOUSING
PREVI : EXPERIMENTAL HOUSING
http://architectureindevelopment.org
http://www.domusweb.it
PRESENTED BY-
AKANKSHA BALPANDE 1205
GEETA GUJARATHI 1220
SHREYA MAHAJAN 1235
POONAM WADEKAR 1267
MRUNALINI WALANJ 1268