A asked three architects to formulate some concrete tips that support the idea that ‘affordable housing starts with affordable construction’. Below are 11 rules of thumb from Gilles Debrun (UCLouvain), Kelly Hendriks (B-ild) and Lieven Nijs (Blaf).

The main reason why regular housing has become so incredibly expensive is because a home is a form of investment. A general shift is needed, both within the administration and in people’s minds, to remove housing from the speculative market. Legal limits must be set on project development, and other forms of ownership must be created, such as the cooperative housing model (as in Switzerland), where you do not own a home, but shares in the cooperative, the value of which is linked to the consumer price index.