Low-demand temporary housing for the homeless
Zero Flat is a pilot programme of low-demand temporary housing for the homeless, proposing an alternative way to ensure access to housing. A conventional flat was renovated and transformed into a “street flat”, giving people who sleep rough the option to stay the night. It is geared towards people who have rejected other shelter options or have been unable to adapt to some of the rules they impose regarding behaviour and communal living.
The need to overcome the limitations of these conventions led the flat to be designed as a half-way spot between the street and a home, with aspects of both concepts in terms of space, technology and symbols. The flat becomes a reversible space that acts as a collective dwelling at night and, during the day, is used for training Arrels Foundation volunteers and advocates. The prototype was created with the aim of testing all aspects of the project that could be generic and repeated in the “zero flats” to come.