For Us By Us
The architectural proposition of this thesis is an urban cooperative housing complex that addresses the issues of social and economic sustainability. Many New Zealanders would prefer to block out their neighbours with high fences. For the more communally minded; cooperative housing facilitates social interaction and at the same time reduces cost through shared economies. The intention of this project is to take the principles of Berlin’s Baugruppe cooperatives and apply these to the New Zealand housing market in a way that resonates with Kiwis. To test these theories the project simulates the process of setting up a cooperative, facilitated by the author and driven by friends ‘the residents’ of this project.
