Dudelange is to have a new housing project comprising 15-20 homes in the minicipality, with an archirtectural competition being held for the design of the new housing development project.

Luxembourg's Ministry of Housing held a press conference on Friday at which Marc Hansen, Minister of Housing, presented in the presence of the Mayor of the City of Dudelange, Dan Biancalana, and general secretary of the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI), Sala Makumbundu, details of the first phase of the porject.

The initiative consists of a closed architecture and urban planning competition that focuses on the design and implementation of housing for rent on state land and on the construction of a communal public square in Dudelange.

The competition is the first step in the systematic utilisation of state properties as part of the national "Baulücken" programme in a field north of the centre of the town.

The Ministry of Housing has conducted with the collaboration of the Liser Observatory habitat an inventory of gaps in the urban fabric directly related to building in the Grand-Duchy. It is planned, after a thorough analysis of sites, to make housing avsailable for rent on state-owned land.

The aim of the competition is to offer a fleet of attractive and diverse housing, meeting the needs of various contemporary household typologies.

Given the continuous increase in construction costs, the project will look for new thinking. Applicants are encouraged to proceed by "thinking out of the box" in order to reflect the future, particularly regarding housing types, modes and construction standards.

It is imperative to have further reflection to the level of details, standards, techniques and construction methods. Standardisation, prefabrication and modular planning are among the topics proposed by candidates.

Contest results is intended to foreshadow the process of planning and implementation, as well as architecture and standards for the development of housing on the set of "Baulücken".

Photo by Ministry of Housing: MArc Hansen at Dudelange press conference