How and why are more and more people choosing to build and live in communities? What motivates them, and what different forms can this take? What contribution can architecture and building culture make in this context?

This book shows 26 projects from Germany, Europe and further afield that offer answers to these questions and have been realised by collective custom build project initiatives or co-operative housing associations. Using different means and concepts, each of them responds to changing lifestyles and different locations. With the help of innovative planning and building processes, they develop solutions that address the specific needs and wishes of their residents. A central principle is the wish to live within one’s own four walls while being part of a community of neighbours and friends, sharing communal spaces and a sense of social commitment. As such, they present ways of combining modern lifestyles with classical principles.

Additional essays provide in-depth information on selected aspects of community-oriented housing, ranging from the economic benefits for society as a whole to the specifics of land allocation procedures, social aspects and suitable legal forms.

Wie und warum bauen und wohnen immer mehr Menschen in Gemeinschaft? Welche Ausprägungen dieses Phänomens existieren und was können Architektur und Baukultur in diesem Zusammenhang leisten?

Das Buch zeigt 26 in Deutschland und überwiegend im europäischen Ausland realisierte Bauten, die als Baugruppenprojekte, von Genossenschaften oder Wohnungsbaugesellschaften errichtet wurden und Antwort auf diese Fragen geben. Sie reagieren mit unterschiedlichen Konzepten auf veränderte Lebensentwürfe und vielfältige Standorte. Mithilfe von innovativen Planungs- und Bauprozessen werden Lösungen entwickelt, die unmittelbar auf die Wünsche und Anforderungen der Bewohner ausgerichtet sind. Dabei steht die Idee im Zentrum, in individuellen Wohnungen und zugleich gemeinschaftlich unter einem Dach zu leben, Nachbarschaft und Freundschaft zu pflegen sowie Raum und soziale Verantwortung zu teilen. Klassische und moderne Lebensmodelle lassen sich somit verbinden.

In vertiefenden Essays werden Hintergrundinformationen zum gemeinschaftlichen Bauen und Wohnen gegeben: vom volkswirtschaftlichen Nutzen dieser Wohnformen, über Fragen der Grundstücksvergabe bis hin zu sozialen Anliegen und rechtlichem Reglungsbedarf.

How and why are more and more people choosing to build and live in communities? What motivates them, and what different forms can this take? What contribution can architecture and building culture make in this context?

This book shows 26 projects from Germany, Europe and further afield that offer answers to these questions and have been realised by collective custom build project initiatives or co-operative housing associations. Using different means and concepts, each of them responds to changing lifestyles and different locations. With the help of innovative planning and building processes, they develop solutions that address the specific needs and wishes of their residents. A central principle is the wish to live within one’s own four walls while being part of a community of neighbours and friends, sharing communal spaces and a sense of social commitment. As such, they present ways of combining modern lifestyles with classical principles.

Additional essays provide in-depth information on selected aspects of community-oriented housing, ranging from the economic benefits for society as a whole to the specifics of land allocation procedures, social aspects and suitable legal forms.