Incremental Development Manual: The Ger Innovation Hub, Mongolia

The traditional Mongolian dwelling or ger has evolved in direct correlation to the demands of nomadic life. However, its mobility, affordability and reproducibility have contributed to a rapid urbanization process in the city of Ulaanbaatar, resulting in the creation of sprawling districts with no basic infrastructure that house over 70% of the city’s population. The aim of the project is to create an Incremental Development Manual as a strategic framework for sustainable and affordable district upgrading. This paper will report on one component of this Manual, The Ger Innovation Hub, a prototype for a community centre that demonstrates a methodology to engage the climate crisis through the intersection between research, design practice, and education. The paper will explain how the project innovated with passive environmental strategies to provide a low-cost solution to reduce energy consumption and the reliance on coal as a heating source. The article will report on the effectiveness of the prototype in terms of its environmental performance and its capacity to become a model for community provision that can be replicated across other ger district areas.

Keywords: Incremental Development, Ulaanbaatar, In-Situ Upgrading, Architecture for the Community, Passive Environmental Design