Asertos, Alicante

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Asertos, Alicante

Mismatches Services Vulnerable groups
Policies and regulations Local policies Global frameworks Governance Participatory processes
Financing
Urban Design Modelos De Ciudad Urban fabrics Services and infrastructure Environments Quality Liveability Inclusion Equity
Promotion and production Favelas/Slums

Main objectives of the project

Asertos is a participatory local development programme originating in the Valencian Community, Spain. The aim is to accompany people and communities in vulnerable neighbourhoods in the improvement of their homes and streets. We use these material improvements to foster the construction of strong and self-sufficient communities.

Date

  • 2017: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Quatorze
  • Architect: Arquitectos sin fronteras

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Alacant / Alicante, Spain

Description

In many regeneration projects in vulnerable neighbourhoods, there is little involvement of local residents. Generally, small spaces for participation are opened up or a superficial accompaniment is offered. In the end, the main objective is to rehabilitate a few houses. However, Asertos' radical vision is based on the idea that housing is only a means to build better, more inclusive and resilient communities. Therefore, they start from community action to promote new neighbourhoods.

The premise is that regeneration should not come from outside the neighbourhood. On the contrary, residents must be empowered to drive the regeneration of their homes and public spaces. In this way, external resources dedicated to the improvement of housing and common spaces also serve to reinforce the social cohesion of the community.

Assertions are accompanied by collective action and social involvement in order to develop specific projects that make it possible:
- Improve coexistence between neighbours through participation.
- Attend to the needs of the dwellings through comprehensive refurbishments driven by the residents themselves.
- Generate a local economy to teach trades, generate income, open up new economic opportunities or provide new jobs and resources to the community.

All this is based on the Asset-Based Community Development methodology, promoted in Europe by Nurture Development. Based on the discovery of the local resources that the community possesses (skills, passions, interests, places, associations, businesses, stories, etc.), we set up a Neighbourhood Resource Bank. With these ingredients, we work on identifying shared needs to connect and mobilise these resources. Through this process of community building, communities move towards a position of power and autonomy, avoiding excessive professionalism and welfarism, and gaining in health and well-being.

Thus, the aim is not only to rehabilitate housing, but also to generate a better and more robust economy, associative fabric and coexistence than when the project began.

It is one of the most radical community action projects ever carried out in Spain, applied to urban regeneration. Although the project began in the Alicante's "Barrio del Cementerio", they are now also working in other highly vulnerable parts of the city.

Centro sociocomunitario de la Cañada Real, Spain

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Centro sociocomunitario de la Cañada Real, Spain

Mismatches Location Cultural suitability Diversity Vulnerable groups
Urban Design Services and infrastructure Quality Liveability Inclusion Participatory processes
Promotion and production Innovation Favelas/Slums

Main objectives of the project

La Cañada Real, an informal settlement in Madrid (Spain), faces major social, economic and housing challenges. The community and the city council, after two failed attempts, succeeded in implementing a socio-community center through a public-social co-management project. This project involved more than 1,200 people, including minors, social entities, a penitentiary and universities, in a participatory construction process. Although not focused on housing, the center improves the livability of the neighborhood, encourages self-building and revitalizes the community, making the area more dignified and livable.

Date

  • 2019: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Santiago Cirugeda
  • Architect: Recetas Urbanas

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Madrid
Country/Region: Madrid, Spain

Description

La Cañada Real is a slum settlement on the outskirts of Madrid, following the ancient transhumant route of "la Cañada", which encompasses a 15 km long area of shantytowns. The social, economic and housing challenge in this area is enormous, with most residents living in self-managed constructions and without access to electricity. In addition, they lack community centers for training and assistance. For these reasons, this project was launched. Although it does not focus on housing, it offers opportunities to improve the livability of the neighborhood and help its residents to progress, making possible a different "living" than the one that existed before the project.

Faced with the urgency of intervening in the Cañada Real, the largest informal settlement in Spain, the community and the city council of Madrid collaborated and drew up specifications for "the joint contracting of the supply, assembly and drafting of technical documents necessary for the implementation of a non-permanent housing structure". The tender was unsuccessful on two occasions. We applied for the third call, already known for another public project carried out in Madrid, although not yet legalized, with the experience and the intention of involving and taking care of the largest number of direct or indirect users of the future social facility.

The methodology starts by approaching the surrounding educational centers, where most of the minors who live in the Cañada Real are located. In addition, house-to-house visits are made to all the families in the sector where the project is located. We also invite social entities and neighborhood associations to participate, as well as the new entities that are being formed. Knowing that there are neighbors deprived of liberty (also future users), we decided to collaborate with those who are in the Soto del Real penitentiary center, where, as in other spaces, slabs, walls, trusses, roof panels and window boxes are prefabricated, which will later be assembled at the official construction site. For all these reasons, our construction site sign reads: "All persons not involved in the construction work are allowed to enter".

That more than 1,200 people, including some 600 minors, 17 social entities, 1 penitentiary, 3 universities and many volunteers, are part of the participatory construction protocol of the socio-community center, does not leave the Recetas Urbanas team indifferent. It is the first experiment with a new public-social co-management regulation.

All the social clauses that this methodology implements - and that were not in the original technical specifications - make this project much more surprising and risky. It is important to mention that the process has been accompanied by technicians from the different administrations involved, who have made up for this initial lack in the drafting of the project bases, collaborating and providing solutions with a perfect understanding of the needs and morphological changes of the project (as happened, for example, with the increase of built square meters and the involvement of users in the work).

The different actors have understood the need for public-social co-management, passing through a shared and creative technical resolution by both parties. Finally, thanks to the impetus and the desire to participate, we obtained two workshops of 45 m² and one of 30 m², a community space of 70 m² and 90 m² of self-sufficient offices and bathrooms, all this without increasing the budget. Part of the success is due to the reuse of materials, including those from Madrid's municipal warehouses.

Although it is not a housing intervention, the construction of this socio-community center in Cañada Real makes it possible to "inhabit" a place that is often uninhabitable. The meeting between neighbors and community action improves the neighborhood, teaches self-building techniques and makes the neighborhood more alive and dignified.

Essential Homes Research Project

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Essential Homes Research Project

Mismatches Security Vulnerable groups Climate change Pandemics
Urban Design Environments Quality Liveability
Ownership and tenure Rental and temporary tenure

Main objectives of the project

The Norman Foster Foundation and Holcim presented the "Essential Homes" research project at the opening of the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023. Norman Foster's foundation has designed a housing prototype aimed at providing safety, comfort and well-being to displaced populations in need of shelter, often living for decades in temporary settlements. Holcim has contributed sustainable building solutions to the project, ensuring that it is low-carbon, energy efficient and follows circular principles, demonstrating the viability of sustainable construction in emergency situations.

Date

  • 2023: En proceso

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Norman Foster Foundation
  • Architect: Holcim

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Italy, Venice

Description

More and more communities are suffering the consequences of natural disasters, wars or other humanitarian crises, forcing them to leave their homes and countries to stay in refugee camps. Although these camps are conceived as temporary solutions, reality and experience have shown that they become permanent settlements where families spend many years. However, the shelters designed to house them continue to be designed on the basis of creating cheap, quick and temporary structures.

Given the permanent status of these settlements, the Norman Foster Foundation wants to propose a different approach to this problem. Refugees and displaced communities should be entitled to better quality structures. We should aim to design homes, not temporary shelters, and we should create communities rather than camps. It is imperative, therefore, that designers and engineers direct their efforts and skills to providing the best possible affordable and permanent living structures.

The project presented by Holcim and the NFF at the Venice Biennale 2023 addresses this humanitarian problem and proposes a design that aims to raise the quality of these structures. To illustrate this concept, two interventions are proposed for the 2023 Venice Biennale: building a life-size house in the Giardini Marinaressa and creating an exhibition in the Palazzo Mora to complement the Giardinni pavilion. The humanitarian crisis context will be shown through graphics, timelines, diagrams and photographs, along with the evolution of the "shelter" concept. Physical models, renderings, drawings and panels of the project will be produced to illustrate how the Giardini house could generate communities in diverse geographies.

Casa di Zia Gessy

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Casa di Zia Gessy

Mismatches Vulnerable groups
Policies and regulations Local policies Public-private initiatives
Promotion and production Public-private partnerships
Ownership and tenure Rental and temporary tenure

Main objectives of the project

A Casa di Zia Gessy (Aunt Gessy’s Home) provides temporary social housing for up to 18 months, aiming to build support networks and promote resident independence. This public housing initiative fosters intergenerational solidarity and communal living. It helps residents achieve permanent autonomy while remaining a lasting support resource. The residents include elderly individuals, single mothers, young people, and "foster families" who guide the community. An educational team ensures project success through goal monitoring and community integration.

Date

  • 2008: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Cooperativa sociale Un sogno per tutti
  • Promotor: Cooperativa sociale E.T
  • Constructor: L’Associazione Giovanile Salesiana per il Territorio

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Italy, Turin

Description

A Casa di Zia Gessy (Aunt Gessy’s Home) is a project offering temporary social housing solutions for a maximum of 18 months. The aim is to create support networks and encourage residents' ability to live independently. The condominium, a public housing structure, seeks to innovatively address the housing needs of its residents, establishing itself as a replicable model of communal living. It aims to address housing distress and foster relationships of proximity and neighborhood, promoting intergenerational solidarity through mutual support and participation in social activities.

The ultimate goal of the Condominium is to help residents achieve permanent autonomy. It also aims to establish itself as a lasting resource of solidarity networks, even after residents have moved on. The Condominium should remain a reliable point of reference, a source of support, and a model of positive communal living for all former residents, fostering a spirit of permanent mutual aid.

The residents of the Condominium include:

- Elderly individuals, living alone or as couples, who are permanent residents.
- Typically, units are composed of single mothers with minor children, single women, and young people aged 16 to 32 who have come from residential structures or foster care. This serves as an intermediate housing phase to help them overcome temporary vulnerabilities and achieve full independence.
- Families or single individuals who act as "foster families," serving as points of reference for the entire condominium.

The Condominium's success relies heavily on its educational team, which handles both the educational and managerial aspects of the project. Their working methodology includes constant monitoring of goals and ongoing adjustments to meet annually planned objectives. The team comprises educators and individuals tasked with facilitating communication and community development. They integrate into the condominium environment respectfully and without overlapping, maintaining harmony within the existing dynamics.

The Social Bite Village, Scotland

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The Social Bite Village, Scotland

Mismatches Functional adequacy Services Vulnerable groups
Policies and regulations Local policies Public-private initiatives
Urban Design
Promotion and production Public-private partnerships
Ownership and tenure Rental and temporary tenure

Main objectives of the project

The Social Bite Village emerges as an innovative and widely backed community designed to accommodate up to 20 individuals impacted by homelessness. Its primary objective is to furnish the requisite support, residential atmosphere, and avenues for individuals transitioning from homelessness to cultivate self-sufficiency. Originating from dialogues conducted by Social Bite with individuals aided by and employed within their social enterprises, the concept for the Village arose from the insights of those who had previously resided in temporary lodging. They conveyed that B&B accommodations failed to furnish a conducive environment for individuals seeking to break free from homelessness, prompting Social Bite to take proactive measures.

Date

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Social Bite

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Description

Homelessness constitutes a significant aspect of Edinburgh's housing landscape, with approximately 3000 individuals presently residing in temporary accommodations. The city predominantly relies on private Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), an approach that, informed by firsthand experiences, proves limiting in facilitating the establishment of a stable life. For this reason, the Social Bite Village was created.

The Social Bite Village functions as a transitional space rather than a permanent residence, providing residents with support to transition into mainstream tenancies, employment, and education. Comprising 10 "Nest Houses," each shared by two residents along with an additional unit for staff, the Village also features a central Community Hub. This Hub serves as the focal point for community life, offering spaces for communal cooking, dining, and socializing, as well as hosting various training and support activities. Over a span of 12-18 months, the project aids residents in securing permanent accommodations and supports them through this transition period. As individuals move on, new Community Members join, benefiting from support and mentorship from existing community members. Designed to offer refuge to those trapped in temporary accommodations, the Village endeavors to serve as a supportive platform for breaking the cycle of homelessness. The 20 community members residing in the Village were recruited through self-referral and partnerships with other organizations, all having experienced temporary accommodation.

The overarching ambition is to establish a comprehensive solution to homelessness, encompassing housing support and employment opportunities. By doing so, the initiative aims to positively impact some of Scotland's most vulnerable individuals, steering them away from paths dominated by poverty and exclusion and toward ones characterized by compassionate support and inclusion. This endeavor is envisioned to offer a model for addressing homelessness that can be replicated by private individuals, charities, or governments in Scotland and beyond.

Recognizing that the initiative may not serve as a universal solution for all homeless individuals, the focus is on a subset of the homeless population with fewer complex needs, without current addiction issues, and who are motivated by the prospect of living in a community and achieving employment and independent living. The aim is to develop a scalable solution.

One-third of the staff members have firsthand experience with homelessness, so they know what the residents are dealing. Residents are assisted in applying for housing benefits and/or seeking employment to facilitate rent payments. The goal is to secure 80% of the Village's funding through rent payments, with any shortfalls addressed through fundraising efforts. Social Bite commits to an annual fund for the Village, ensuring a consistent level of support for residents. Under the terms of the lease with the city council, no rent or council tax is paid. However, since Social Bite does not own the land, there exists the possibility of relocation after four years, necessitating the design of housing that can be easily transported to a new site.

123 rue Royale, Brussels

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123 rue Royale, Brussels

Mismatches Vulnerable groups Vacant housing
Policies and regulations Local policies Evictions
Ownership and tenure Rental and temporary tenure Protection of social housing

Main objectives of the project

Authorities often view squatters as a significant issue in the housing crisis. Many people become squatters out of necessity, but in doing so, they occupy units that could otherwise house other families in need. The case of 123 Rue Royale serves as a notable example of addressing this problem. Through a well-organized movement behind the occupation, residents were able to negotiate terms and reach a temporary agreement. This allowed them to stay in the building temporarily and transform it into a democratic hub of culture and activities. Eventually, this "legal" occupation came to an end, and the building was returned to its public owner. By following this model, the squatters prevented the sale of public land, and none of the residents were evicted.

Date

  • 2007: Implementation

Stakeholders

  • Wallonia Region
  • Promotor: Woningen 123 Logements

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Belgium, Brussels

Description

Social housing constitutes about 8% of the total housing in Brussels. With 43.4% of the population being homeowners, more than half of the population relies on the private rental market. Less than half of social housing applicants are successful, and for the 41,000 families on the waiting list, the wait can exceed 10 years.

The first illegal occupation of empty buildings arose because public authorities had tools to make vacant buildings available to homeless people or to renovate and rent them out on a social basis. However, these tools were not being utilized. What began as an act of civil disobedience to highlight housing exclusion issues has evolved into a recognized movement affirming the social interest in occupying vacant spaces for housing. This is exemplified by the case of Woningen123Logements, or 123 Rue Royale, in Brussels.

In May 2007, a group of people took over the building at 123 Rue Royale. A temporary occupation agreement was quickly concluded with the Walloon Region, the owner of the premises. Among the new occupants were students, street dwellers, artists, undocumented people, and others seeking an alternative to traditional housing. They shared common experiences of difficulty in finding accommodation due to the housing crisis or personal reasons and a desire to live in collective and supportive housing. The non-profit organization is currently seeking a new location as the convention is ending. Additionally, 123 Logements aims to find alternative and concrete solutions to the housing crisis, particularly through the reallocation of empty buildings into self-managed housing.

The case became a pilot project with the signing of a temporary occupancy agreement between 123 Rue Royale and the Walloon Region as the landlord. The agreement allowed the occupants secure tenure for up to six months after the owner obtained planning permission to repurpose the building sustainably.

During the temporary agreement, 123 Rue Royale became an association with the objective of creating supportive and self-managed housing. The association does not intend to impede owners' investments but seeks a simple solution to legally occupy buildings awaiting allocation or investment, offering reliable guarantees for both owners and residents. The association is composed of 90% residents, 5% former residents, and 5% outsiders, with all decisions made in residents' meetings. In 2018, the agreement ended, and the occupants left the building. During the legal occupation, the building became a hub of cultural and economic activities in the neighborhood.

While temporary occupancy agreements are not seen as the ultimate solution to the housing crisis, they provide a roof, security, and comfort at a very low cost, serving as a temporary solution that allows households to save money for debts or sustainable rehousing. This case is notable because it involved community action, emphasizing the importance of seeing opportunities in the housing crisis rather than merely focusing on squatting as a problem.

Generation Block, Helsinki

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Generation Block, Helsinki

Mismatches Services Cultural suitability Diversity
Urban Design Quality Liveability Inclusion Equity
Promotion and production Public-private partnerships Self-management
Ownership and tenure

Main objectives of the project

The Generations Block comprises rental homes provided by Setlementtiasunnot and the Foundation of Student Housing in the Helsinki Region (Hoas), along with owner-occupied housing. This block includes a total of 262 apartments, 20 of which are specially designed for disabled residents. It fosters an active and community-oriented lifestyle, bringing together people of diverse ages and cultural backgrounds. The block features various communal spaces, such as a residents' living room, a stage for movies and performances, a laundry room with a sewing area, a woodworking room, and a soundproof music room.

Date

  • 2017: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Hoas
  • Promotor: Setlementtiasunnot

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Helsinki
Country/Region: Finland, Helsinki

Description

The Generations Block in Helsinki builds on the concept of student housing with common rooms and shared spaces, expanding it to create a multigenerational community within the housing development. Initiated in 2010, the project has attracted numerous collaborators and partners, including Aalto University, the Ministry of Environment, and the City of Helsinki. The Block comprises 262 homes spread across three buildings, with an entire floor dedicated to shared spaces.

Residents benefit from a variety of communal amenities, such as a garden, kitchen, sewing room, woodworking room, TV room, soundproof music room, sauna, gym, and a theatre stage. A wide, open, wheelchair-accessible corridor connects all these shared spaces, facilitating movement and fostering a sense of community and interaction.

For example, Jätkäsaaren Setlementtiasunnot is one of the largest buildings in the project. It offers studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments ranging from 32 to 77 square meters. The eight-floor building is equipped with a lift. The living rooms, hallways, and kitchens have laminate flooring, while the washrooms are tiled with ceramic tiles. Kitchen fixtures include MDF cabinet doors and laminate countertops, along with an ice-freezer, a four-burner hob, a dishwasher, and a microwave. All apartments are designed to be wheelchair accessible and feature either a balcony or a French balcony, with some offering private courtyards. For fire safety, all apartments and balconies have sprinklers. The property includes 29 parking spaces located under Hyväntoivonpuisto in the Rokkiparkki parking cave. Each apartment has a mechanical ventilation system and is connected to district heating.

While common rooms and shared living have traditionally been part of student housing and residential or care homes, the Generations Block extends this concept to include everyone in between. It offers residents the chance to form neighborly friendships and foster a sense of community and belonging in a large city, while also providing access to spaces and resources for hobbies and interests. As co-living becomes more popular among young people, it will be intriguing to observe the demographic composition of the Generations Block and how intergenerational living functions in practice.

Viviendas sociales 1737 (Gavà, Barcelona)

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Viviendas sociales 1737 (Gavà, Barcelona)

Mismatches Diversity Vulnerable groups
Urban Design Quality Liveability Inclusion Regulación Técnica Procesos Administrativos
Promotion and production Public promotion Materials Technology

Main objectives of the project

The innovative social housing project by H Arquitectes in Gavá, near Barcelona, demonstrates Catalonia's commitment to low-cost, high-quality housing. Adapted to a triangular plot, the building avoids dead-end corners and offers panoramic views. Apartments feature four adaptable modules and a hybrid structural system for efficiency. Exterior transitions include balconies and glazed galleries, leading to a central atrium that provides natural light and ventilation. With 136 units, the project, backed by IMPSOL, aligns with regional efforts to address housing shortages.

Date

  • 2022: Construction
  • 2017: Ganador

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: IMPSOL
  • Architect: H Arquitectes

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

In recent years, Catalonia has been increasing its public social housing stock with extraordinary low-cost projects. A good example of this architectural excellence is the project by H Arquitectes in Gavá, a small coastal town a few kilometres from Barcelona, between the Garraf massif and the Llobregat delta. The building adapts to the perimeter of a complicated, triangular-shaped plot, breaking the continuity at the corners to avoid dead-end corners that could generate situations of insecurity. In this way, a plot with excellent views and pleasant surroundings is achieved. The building is developed through a system of aggregation that maximises the relationship between the living spaces and the surroundings. All the rooms are exterior and have views of the Ferreres mountain range and the Llobregat Agricultural Park, an area of great environmental interest.

Each dwelling consists of four equal modules of 10.6 square metres, which can be used as living room, kitchen or bedroom. A hybrid structure of screens and concrete slabs separating the dwellings, combined with slender pillars that allow very short and efficient spans, while characterising the space of each room. On both sides of these modules, there are two bands of transition to the exterior: a balcony facing the street and a glazed gallery - where the bathrooms and storage space are located, which can also be attached to the living rooms - towards an atrium where the circulations and vertical communication cores of the whole complex are resolved. Thus, all the spaces have plenty of natural light and cross ventilation.

As explained above, three continuous rings are configured: terrace, programme and circulation, leaving the vertical communication cores inside the atrium. In this way, there are no corridors. The central atrium is a protected and slightly tempered space that ventilates the stairs and makes the dwellings more comfortable. The staircases are very compact and serve four dwellings per landing, giving a total of 136 dwellings.

As for the governance of the project, it is promoted by IMPSOL, Barcelona's public metropolitan developer. Thus, the project is part of a strategy of the city as a whole, together with its adjacent municipalities, to address the growing housing crisis that is being experienced.

The building has been largely awarded: Matilde Baffa Ugo Rivolta 2023 European Award, Shortlisted ‘EU Mies Van der Rohe Award 2024’, ‘III Premis Temps de les Arts’ 2023, Premio ex aequo ‘Premio ENOR 2023’, Premio FAD de la opinión 2023, Finalist "Premios FAD 2023", "Premio en la Bienal Española de Arquitectura y Urbanismo ‘BEAU XVI’ 2023"

Silodalm, Amsterdam

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Silodalm, Amsterdam

Mismatches Functional adequacy Services Diversity
Urban Design Inclusion
Promotion and production Innovation Technology

Main objectives of the project

In the western part of the Amsterdam harbour, an extensive urban redevelopment references a former dam and silo building. This project features a mixed-use program that includes housing, offices, workspaces, commercial areas, and public spaces, all arranged within a 20-meter-deep, ten-story-high urban structure. The apartments vary significantly in size, price, and layout, catering to a diverse demographic and the desire for individuality.

Date

  • 2003: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: MVRDV

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Amsterdam
Country/Region: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Description

In the port of Amsterdam, an extensive urban development operation was launched to densify the city and meet market demands, even in one of the most vulnerable areas. A former dock with a silo building has been transformed into a new neighbourhood that includes costly components: a dock with underground parking, renovation of the silo buildings, more affordable housing, an underwater tanker protection barrier, deep pile foundations and temporary dry dock constructions.

The result is Silodam. Today, the Silodam residential block, located on the river Ij in Amsterdam, houses 157 dwellings together with commercial premises, offices, workshops and collective spaces. The different uses are distributed over ten levels raised above the water by means of a structural grid of pillars and load-bearing walls, creating a compact block reminiscent of a large ship loaded with containers. The silo is located at the end of a dock where other factory buildings were also transformed into housing to bring urban density to this central area of the city. Collective spaces for neighbours, including a marina, a grandstand and a terrace overlooking the sea, take advantage of this privileged location. The Silodam offers a variety of housing typologies to create an intergenerational environment and better respond to market demand. Aiming to promote a mix of residents of different socio-economic and generational profiles, the Dutch studio designed fifteen types of housing that differ in size, organisation and price. Small flats, duplexes, courtyard houses and three-storey lofts are grouped in clusters of four to eight units, forming small neighbourhoods connected by a complex network of walkways, galleries and brightly coloured corridors.

This typological organisation defines the building's exterior identity. Clearly inspired by the image of container ships sailing through the Dutch capital, the façade is a collage of colours, materials (corrugated iron, cedar wood and aluminium) and windows of different shapes, revealing the order of this colourful jigsaw puzzle. Internally, the block is divided into groups of four to eight dwellings, forming small units identified by the colour of their access and by a similar façade treatment - either corrugated iron, cedar wood or aluminium panels.

The ultimate goal was to create a mixed neighbourhood on the river. With uses such as restaurants, offices, housing... And with different attributions in terms of the panoramic views or building characteristics. Although it is not a social rental project, the variety of typologies makes it possible to balance costs and offer housing of varying affordability. In this way, accessibility is generated in a unique environment and in a building with multiple uses and possibilities.

Tinggården, Denmark

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Tinggården, Denmark

Mismatches Services Cultural suitability Diversity
Urban Design Services and infrastructure Quality Liveability Participatory processes
Promotion and production Participatory processes Innovation Cooperatives

Main objectives of the project

Since its construction in 1978, Tinggården has stood as the archetype of low-rise, high-density residential architecture in Denmark. Situated on open land in the town of Herfølge, Tinggården represents a highly successful non-profit housing experiment that utilized architecture to reestablish residents' democracy within the local community. It is renowned as one of the pioneering cohousing experiments globally.

Date

  • 1978: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Promotor: Danish Building Research Institute
  • Architect: Vandkunsten Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
Country/Region: Denmark

Description

In the 1960s, a group of architects and families in Denmark who sought more interaction with their neighbours initiated the cohousing movement, characterized by private houses grouped around common spaces and facilities. Tinggården was one of the first projects to implement these cohousing theories.

In 1971, the Danish Building Research Institute (SBI) held a competition on alternative housing forms. This competition presented an opportunity to demonstrate flexible, human-scaled architecture as a radical contrast to the technocratic high-rise developments and the perceived monotony of suburban single-family homes. Vandkunsten Architects won the competition with a proposal that emphasized community and aimed to give residents real influence over both the architectural design and their ability to shape their lives and homes. This competition paved the way for the Tinggården housing experiment and led to the establishment of Vandkunsten Architects.

Tinggården was completed in 1978, originally consisting of 78 homes arranged into six family clusters, each with a communal building for shared meals and activities. Additionally, a large communal hall was built for all Tinggården residents. The development expanded in a second phase from 1983 to 1984, doubling the number of homes, a testament to its success.

Each cluster features its own community house, small squares, and gathering places. All homes have access to their social community and direct access to the surrounding landscape, which is fundamental to low-rise, high-density architecture. The architects chose shapes, colors, and timber cladding similar to the red and cream-colored Danish barns in the surrounding area.