Ecologies of Inclusion: Studio presentation and Public Debate on Cooperative Housing in Blijdorp, Rotterdam

 A financialized housing market entails systemic shortage of affordable housing. Rotterdam’s continuous increase of real estate prices is a case in point: despite its high share of social housing, today Rotterdam faces a shortage of affordable dwellings for lower income groups. How can collective housing design promote social inclusion and reduce the ecological footprint of its residents? To answer these challenges, the TU Delft master level housing design studio operates under the “what if” scenario of a cooperative economy for a neighborhood in Blijdorp. Inspired by the cooperative housing designs in Zurich, such Kalkbreite (2014) or Zollhaus (2021), the studio conceives of housing laboratories that offer shared spaces to the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire city. Its overarching goal is to relate design, non-speculative housing models and participatory governance. How can a housing project function as a socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable neighborhood operating under the premise of long-term non-speculation? How does this approach impact on the understanding of design knowledge?

o answer these challenges, the TU Delft master level housing design studio operates under the “what if” scenario of a cooperative economy for a neighborhood in Blijdorp. Inspired by the cooperative housing designs in Zurich, such Kalkbreite (2014) or Zollhaus (2021), the studio conceives of housing laboratories that offer shared spaces to the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire city. Its overarching goal is to relate design, non-speculative housing models and participatory governance. How can a housing project function as a socially inclusive, ecologically sustainable, and economically viable neighborhood operating under the premise of long-term non-speculation? How does this approach impact on the understanding of design knowledge?

This event takes place in the context of the symposium Cooperative Conditions
learning from Vienna, Zürich & Münich convened by Arie Lengkeek and Peter
Kuenzli at the same location on June 2nd and October 6th.

Critics:  Critics: Monica Adams, Darinka Czischke, Arie Lengkeek, Hein van Lieshout

Speakers: Anne Kockelkorn, Olv Klijn, Students of the TU Delft Advanced Housing Design Studio (Christoforos Roungeris presents: Urban Masterplan, Michalis Psaras presents: Synanthropic Habitats, Savanne van Harrewijen presents : Togethernesss, Maximilian Mehl presents: Urban masterplan, Marieke Scholtes presents: Living Alone Together, Hsiu-Ju Chang presents: Blijkeuken.

Exhibition: Projects by: Hsiu-Ju Chang, Mirthe Ebels, Ali Dasli, Tim de Frankrijker, Linda Hammerschlag, Savanne van Harrewijen, Alexander Hessels, Midas Hoezen, Maximilian Mehl, Michalis Psaras, Christoforos Roungeris, Roos Salih, Sarvin Sarabi, Marieke Scholtes, Basma Shahoud, Linsey Tegelaar, Kelly Wong