Washington Demonstration Housing

Client: Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Washington Demonstration Housing was a study exploring new technical means of providing low-cost housing to respond to Washington's housing shortage. The primary goal was to reduce cost while increasing the speed of construction. With this in mind, Safdie used engineering refinements such as lightweight chemically prestressed concrete called "Chem-Stress", which resulted in a substantial reduction in the thickness and weight of concrete walls and slabs. The application of the system was studied for seven selected sites, but no project was built, because it was concluded that although great cost reductions had been made, a small-scale application would require a sponsor. Images on this page: 1 Site section Washington, D.C., United States of America