Starting point for this cooperative master thesis is the forthcoming end of the project University of Neighbourhoods (UoN). Based on personal participation in different projects within the framework of the UdN, the authors want to transfer the generated resources into an alternative scenario for a new development, in order to locally convey the project-embedded knowledge rather than just taking it back to the university. The new proposal follows the idea of living as a superposition of different programmes and activities.

The case study of the UoN reveals that the general terms “private & public“ which are used in the fields of architecture and planning cannot represent complex situations if space is understood in its relational context. Developing this consideration with the notion that space is perceived as “spacing and the performance of synthesis” (Löw 2001), the conclusion can be drawn that the level of privacy is determined by the grade of appropriation. Therefore the following design interprets architectural space primarily as generally closed (individual) or on the other hand fully accessible (collective).

Hence the building is divided into individual units and collective spaces.
Three main blocks accommodate individual units which are developed out of a minimum private space principle. These blocks are designed according to the Open Building System (S.A.R.) that enables individual fit-outs of units by heterogenous inhabitants.
The individual units are connected by collective spaces which are set in strategic locations. They are not defined by a programme but rather determined through specific architectural attributes and functions (wall segments, double hight, different levels & kitchen) to be appropriated by future residents and passers-by.
This design approach transforms the idea of “individual & collective” into an architecture that enables appropriation and develops its “openness” out of its own performance.