This chapter describes the proposed a reference low-cost housing design which accommodates three possible building technologies. Drawings vary, illustration all three applications.

The proposal is a variation on an original design used by the author for the construction of 250 dwellings, a project carried out by "Centro de Investigaciones CIUDAD" in the coastal region of Ecuador, 1993.

The following selection criteria have been taken into account in designing this prototype:

Climate context
The proposed design responds to a temperature range of 10° to 32° C. and humidity from 50% to 90%

Area
The proposed design has a floor area of 71 m2 (including three or four bedrooms), appropriate for a high density urban sector.

Expansion
Being based on prefabricated components, the prototype can easily be added to for both horizontal and vertical modular expansion.

Aesthetics
Local traditional vernacular architecture is used as an essential parameter for designing low-cost housing.

The connotations of poverty, associated with traditional earth, timber and bamboo houses, have been addressed by giving the façade a very modern aspect, in keeping with urban trends.