Collective Changes: Self-building and co-design in multi-family housing

Summer 2022 - present

Andrew Beckerman + John K. Branner Travel Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley

Advisor: Greg Castillo

Unlike single family housing, apartment buildings juxtapose the most personal domestic space with the larger building that houses a diversity of people with tangled timelines and changing circumstances. These tensions exponentially complicate the synthesis of a single design that continually meets all the needs of the individuals living there. To address this, in some buildings residents transform standardized units after they are completed, whereas in others, the traditional design team included residents in the process from the beginning or intentionally left the building open for future change. This research proposes analyzing the methods and effectiveness of resident participation in the design and construction of their own apartments in a variety of sites located in Germany, Belgium, UK, France, Italy, Finland, Chile, Argentina, Japan, and India. By spending a week at each site and engaging in collective weavings and conversations, this study seeks to understand the architectural manifestations of resident participation, how or if it enables people to live better, whether the balance between the various stakeholders practically and aesthetically “works” or not, and how it impacts the lifespan and sustainability of the housing.