Belapur Incremental Housing

Case study-1
Belapur Incremental housing
“Making house is like

a bird building its
nest. You start with a
basic house, but you
have to let people
change it to their own
needs.”
- Charles Correa
Site Location
➢Address: Artist Village, Sector – 8, CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Proximity:
➢2 KM from Belapur Railway Station.
➢28 KM from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, India.
A Brief introduction
Belapur incremental housing project - a proposal for mass affordable housing in New Bombay (Navi Mumbai), which
demonstrated how high densities could be achieved with low-rise courtyard homes, built with simple materials at a human scale.
Based on clusters of between seven and 12

pairs of houses arranged around communal
courtyards, the buildings did not share party
walls - allowing each family to extend and adapt
their own house independently.
550 families were planned for in a 5.4 -hectares

area limitation. 100 families per hectares.
© Architectopedia
PLANNING SPACES
• The project is generated by a hierarchy of spaces. The first is the private courtyard of single dwelling
used as a space for outdoor activities during most of the year.
• Subsequently, seven units are grouped to form a small courtyard town of about 8m x 8m.
Living Area
Services
Private Courtyard
Access. © Charles Correa Associates

PLANING SPACE
Three of these groups form a module of twenty- one homes that describes
the collective space of the next scale (approximately 12m X 12m).
3X1X7 © Charles Correa Associates

PLANNING SPACES
• Correa discussed housing and the importance of people to be involved

in determining its design and use.
• Additionally, he also emphasized" incremental housing as a centerpiece

to any solution that was proposed for a place like Dharavi.
• The footprint of each plan varies little in size (from 45 sq. m to 70 sq. m),
maintaining equity (fairness) in the community.
https://www.slideshare.net/rithikarockingravishankar/belapur-incremental-housing-a-case-study
THE MODULES
Five types of dwellings were designed based on plot sizes varying from 45sqm to 75 sqm.
Scheme caters wide range from the lowest budgets of Rs 20000, Middle income groups Rs 30000-50000 and Upper
income Rs 180000.
© Charles Correa Associates

Hierarchical open spaces

Plan and Elevation of Type A unit- simplest Plan and elevation of Type E unit – largest unit similar to a double-storeyed tenement
unit consisting one room and toilet.
© Charles Correa Associates © Charles Correa Associates

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION
• TECHNOLOGY: external walls of brick; roof

structure covered with wooden shingles.
• MATERIALS: brick, plaster of white color, colorful

wooden fixtures, outdoor paving stone blocks.
• Individual houses rely on simple floor plans and

building methods. enabling local masons and
craftspeople to construct them.
• The village was produced with the idea that the

residents were going to alter it in many ways,
making it truly their own, therefore homes are
freestanding, so residents can add on to them as
their families grow; and differently priced plans
appeal to a wide variety of income levels.
THE CURRENT SCENARIO
• THE CURRENT SCENARIO Many of the original

buildings are demolished and now replaced
with much bigger concrete houses by the
aspiring middle classes.
• Yet the courtyards and the hierarchy of

community spaces remains intact: it is a
strong piece of city-making that has lasted
beyond the individual dwellings.
• Some of the original houses still standing, but

most of them look different. The trees had
grown up and shrouded the whole complex in
shade in growth. There was a range of
housing there. Upon an informal count, it was
found that roughly one third of the original
homes had been torn down and completely
rebuilt.
The recently construction RCC bungalows
One of the few original buildings
Freedom of Modification
Multi- storey construction as opposed to the original architectural grammar
The central nallah
During the monsoon, the hill runoff is drained through this channel (nallah).
The central nallah © Charles Correa Associates © Charles Correa Associates

CONCLUSION
• This housing project offers the quality of life of a

village with the sophistication of a city.
• Each cluster permits the emergence of a local

community feeling, while integrating each house
to the whole settlement at different levels. The
hierarchy itself is very organic.
• The complex allowed people to modify their

houses freely, whether with a paintbrush or
mortar - something that is NEVER allowed in the
type of mass housing devastating the urban and
psychological landscape of cities around the
world.

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Case study-1

“Making house is like

Based on clusters of between seven and 12

550 families were planned for in a 5.4 -hectares

Access. © Charles Correa Associates

3X1X7 © Charles Correa Associates

• Correa discussed housing and the importance of people to be involved

• Additionally, he also emphasized" incremental housing as a centerpiece

© Charles Correa Associates

© Charles Correa Associates

© Charles Correa Associates © Charles Correa Associates

• TECHNOLOGY: external walls of brick; roof

• MATERIALS: brick, plaster of white color, colorful

• Individual houses rely on simple floor plans and

• The village was produced with the idea that the

• THE CURRENT SCENARIO Many of the original

• Yet the courtyards and the hierarchy of

• Some of the original houses still standing, but

One of the few original buildings

Multi- storey construction as opposed to the original architectural grammar

The central nallah © Charles Correa Associates © Charles Correa Associates

• This housing project offers the quality of life of a

• Each cluster permits the emergence of a local

• The complex allowed people to modify their

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