A ‘mass custom design’ approach to upgrading conventional housing development in Mexico

In order to maintain the economies of large-volume work that help reduce construction costs, homebuilders in Mexico tend to mass produce low-cost housing using conventional methods and targeting low- and middle-income earners before having buyers for the units. Even though these homes respect a minimum of housing quality as defined by housing institutions such as governmental bodies providing financial assistance via loans provision, homebuyers appear dissatisfied with these ready-built shelters that barely meet their housing requirements. In order to identify today’s market demand for new homes in Mexico, the authors surveyed some typical low-cost housing developments located in Aguascalientes—a middle-sized city located in the central part of the country. The authors visited construction sites and conducted personal interviews with selected homeowners. Based on their observation of such housing developments, the authors found that many homebuyers ‘extensively’ modify their new home immediately after occupancy. This need to personalise their new house may be explained in part by the lack of customisability in housing design at the purchase stage. This study therefore sought to introduce a ‘mass custom design’ approach that may bridge the production gap between the need for the mass production of housing that helps lower selling prices and the need for the design customisation required by todayʹs consumer. This paper also examines the potential effects of this new design approach on the delivery of conventional, low-cost housing in Mexico.