RSH+P's modular Y:cube housing scheme for the YMCA opens

RSH+P opens first modular housing scheme for the YMCA
photography © grant smith

the youth charity YMCA has opened its first ‘Y:cube’ development; a complex for single people in need of housing, designed by rogers stirk harbour + partners. located in south west london, the project is designed as accommodation for people leaving homelessness hostels and supported housing schemes. each of the 36 residences is being rented out at 65% of the area’s market rate, a saving attributed to the project’s construction method, which resulted in an unusually quick build time of around five months.

the scheme is located in mitcham, a district of south west london

the Y:cube units were all built off-site before being transported to london. construction on the three-storey site started in march 2015 and the last home was completed in august. the site’s communal courtyard has been named george williams court, after the founder of YMCA. similar schemes are planned across london and parts of england in the near future.

the development serves as accommodation for people leaving homelessness hostels

‘Y:cube offers generous space and exceptional insulation, daylight and acoustics,’ explains ivan harbour, senior partner at RSHP. ‘by delivering high-quality accommodation using quick and cost-effective volumetric technology, we hope to offer a new model for house building in the future.’

richard james, chief executive of YMCA london south west, adds: ‘Y:cube presents a new way of creating genuinely affordable aspirational housing for single people in housing need. great design and an innovative construction system have helped us in developing a housing scheme that challenges traditional housebuilding methods.’

each of the 36 residences is being rented out at 65% of the area’s market rate

Y:cube uses a pre-constructed modular system that enables the units to stack on top or alongside each other, making it completely adaptable to the available size and space. each 26 square meter unit is constructed from high quality, eco-efficient materials (primarily renewable timber), ensuring well-insulated accommodation that requires little or no heating — even during winter months. each component is constructed with services already incorporated, allowing water, heating and electricity to be connected to existing facilities.

see here for designboom’s previous coverage of the ‘Y:cube’ housing unit.

the Y:cube units were all built off-site before being transported to london