Empty offices transform into affordable housing with The Hub prefab apartment

A Dutch design firm has come up with an innovative solution for housing asylum seekers.

As the refugee crisis in Europe grows and global property prices climb, Kraaijvanger has designed a modular system that quickly and cheaply transforms empty buildings into homes.

Being trialled in Rotterdam, the idea could alleviate housing affordability worldwide. It is suitable for migrants urgently seeking housing and also students, low income earners and those struggling to find apartments in tightly held areas.

Called The Hub, it’s a prefabricated kit – containing a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet, plus facilities including heating, a sound system and an internet connection – that can be installed in days in empty or abandoned buildings. The design comes with supplementary “Hubs”, such as the Bedhub, which offers scope for extra rooms and added comfort. 

Office buildings, warehouses, factories, shops, halls and any space that has access to water and electricity can be transformed into an apartment. The modular design means The Hub can be moved, should a space be required for its original purpose.

In the Netherlands, social housing association Havensteder rents affordable properties to 45,000 low income or vulnerable tenants.

Last year, it called on designers to answer a question: “How will we live in the future?”

The Hub was the winning entry. It is being trialled for six months in an office building in Rotterdam’s Zomerhofkwartier district, where tenants will assess comfort and function.

“The idea is for users to rent or lease a Hub rather than buying it,” Kraaijvanger says.

“So they aren’t purchasing a home, just the comforts of one.

“The Hub is financed by the suppliers of materials, data services, energy, water and waste disposal, who also own the construction system. We take our inspiration from socially relevant themes. We want to improve liveability in cities.”

All photos by Ronald Tilleman, via Kraaijvanger Design.