Rooftop 'Parasite' Homes Could be the Future of Affordable Housing in Paris

Rooftop “parasite homes” might just be an answer to Paris’s affordable housing drought—at least that’s the hope of developers behind the 3BOX project about to begin construction.

The three upcoming apartments, just off the canal near the city’s Quai de Valmy, have found an ingenious way of freeing up more space in a densely built city: they’re perched on top of existing buildings. As a result, the developers hope the homes will ultimately sell at 40 percent less than the area’s market price.