In Dialogue : How to plan, build and inhabit a house

• Main Author: Svensson, Mikael
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Umeå universitet, Arkitekthögskolan vid Umeå universitet 2019
• Subjects: Adaptable; Housing; Joint building venture; Byggemenskap; Dwelling; Multi Family Housing; Holmsund; Umeå; Architecture; Arkitektur
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-159811

The history of housing in Sweden is a central part of our cultural history and for the collective understanding of ourselves. During the 20th century the Swedish state has played an active roll in the production of housing. But, since the 90s the housing question has been left to the market which struggles to produce the quantity of housing that is needed. While the housing that is built today comes with a lot of qualities, it is also ridden with problems. The floor plans are general, yet fixed, common spaces are under prioritized and the possibility to customize your apartment is low. Not to mention that we are moving towards a situation were also rental apartments are put on the free market which under the current situation, could lead to an increased segregation in the bigger cities. The ability to choose how your home should be configurated has become a luxury.   The situation has certain similarities with the speculative way of building of the late 19th century in Sweden. The answer then was to make it possible for workers, small farmers and officials to build their own homes with financial help from the state.   When neither the market nor the state can provide good enough housing for the citizens, it is time to, like before, explore how we can take the matter in our own hands. Today an answer could be joint building ventures. Friends, colleagues or like-minded can get together and build their own multifamily houses by planning, building and finally inhabit the buildings. It is today a tricky process, but experiences from Germany have showed that it can be a reliable way of providing housing when the idea gets more normative. Holmsund could be a good testing ground for joint building ventures. The settlement is expected to grow, there are free central plots and the settlement can provide enough service and commuting possibilities even for people more used to city life.   My system provides a frame, concrete slabs resting on steel columns with a wet core stabilizing the structure laterally. The users are then, in dialogue with the architect and the other residents negotiating the space after their needs and economical situation.