high-rise foreign-style housing

18:46 Aug 10, 2011 

OK, thanks for that vital extra context! As it is Chinese, we now know what the 'foreign-style' refers to, and it all makes a lot more sense!

18:42 Aug 10, 2011 

This is not an ILM, neither an HLM. I think it is rather "immeuble d'habitation d'architexture étrangère". It concerns the Chinese real estate market. Thank you for your help ! Regards

07:11 Aug 10, 2011 

IGH

Immeuble de grande hauteur - Wikipédia

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immeuble_de_grande_hauteur

Dans le droit français, un immeuble de grande hauteur (couramment abrégé IGH) est une construction relevant, du fait de sa hauteur, de procédures ...

07:09 Aug 10, 2011 

No, it's certainly not anything to do with ILM either, there is no element of 'loyer' in it, the acronym specifically suggests the idea of 'high-rise'

07:07 Aug 10, 2011 

ILM? Then it is Immeuble à Loyer Moyen. There are income restrictions to this one too.

06:54 Aug 10, 2011 

No, it's not HLM, I'm very familiar with that term; this is a specific term, as I say, it begins with 'I', and is used in town planning etc. specifically to refer to a high-rise building (which is not necessarily a tower-block as such).

I think 'immeuble' is too vague to convey what one can only assume is the key point here: that it is 'high-rise'.

20:54 Aug 9, 2011 

Is it HLM you are referring to? It stands for "Habitation à Loyer Modéré" It actually is a high-rise building but can be a single family house too and is the equivalent of "affordable housing program" here in the States (don't know in UK)... It implies that the tenant may not make more than a certain income limit.
How about "Immeuble" vague enough in French for it to be high-rise, "affordable rent housing program", few storeys, condos, and skyscrapers..?

16:18 Aug 9, 2011 

I think it all depends on the context, and exactly what this is referring to?

Are we talking about tower blocks of flats, and if so, just how high: a few storeys, or skyscrapers?

And what 'style' are they referring to? Is it the appearance / design (I somehow doubt this), or perhaps the type of accommodation provided (which can be very culture-dependent)? Do note that in the source text, 'foreign-style' appears to qualify 'housing', which is a relatively abstract notion, compared to the much more concrete 'houses', for example.

And 'foreign' with respect to where?

There is a special acronym in FR for 'high-rise buildings', I forget what it is exactly, but I know it has three letters and starts with 'I' — I suspect this could be a solution for you here, to avoid being too specific and thereby risking over-interpretation.