Designing for the Unfinished: PREVI Lima and the Architecture of Incremental Growth

Abstract

Incremental housing reconceptualizes the dwelling as open-ended process rather than a finished object. This paper theorizes the seed dwelling as spatial and structural framework that embeds the capacity for growth within its original form, distinguishing it from housing that merely tolerates informal extension. Through cross-case analysis of eight proposals from the PREVI Lima Experimental Housing Project (1967–1976), the study identifies three principles enabling resident-driven growth: the interior courtyard as spatial reserve; load bearing party walls oriented perpendicular to the street; and fixed service core that anchors infrastructure while maximizing flexibility. By applying  tri-scalar interpretive framework derived from open building theory to systematic comparative analysis of PREVI proposals, the paper makes two original contributions. First, it proposes design taxonomy  that operationalizes the theoretical distinction between housing that tolerates growth and housing that structures it. Second, it recovers underexamined cases from the PREVI archive, notably the Colombian and Peruvian proposals, which enrich and test the robustness of this taxonomy across different architectural genealogies. Comparative analysis with Belapur and Elemental Chile confirms cross-cultural transferability: well-designed seed dwellings reduce expansion costs and generate household equity. By framing housing as temporal infrastructure, the model offers practical spatial grammar for affordable housing in rapidly urbanizing regions.