A Shared Sense of Belonging: the politics of defining in sustainable community housing typologies

Sasha Maher, Jacqueline McIntosh

Origins of research

Design request for a shared element in two joined houses

Sustainable motivationsSeeking to reduce the amount of

individually owned space, environmentally conscious

Seeking social benefits of closer proximity for selves and immediate family

Seeking to achieve economies

Our objectives are to…

1. Define this ‘new’ housing type

2. Position it within the literature

3. Explore the connection to ‘sustainability’

4. Obtain an understanding of any issues relating to the New Zealand context

5. Identify some of the theories that might underpin and inform design

Finding and defining ‘conjoined’ housing

•Scott Wong (pbase supporter) Usernamegenghis45Personal URLhttp://members.tripod.com/ih71/index.html1LocationUnited States

Types of conjoined twins depicted by French Renaissance surgeon Ambroise PareFrom On Monsters and Marvels (orig, 1573), University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1982.

sustainable community housing typologies

Shared housing Collective housing

Shared housing

Rented accommodation Usually individuals Shared kitchen, living room and

sometimes bathroom Minimal private space Economically driven Little autonomy Examples

Multi-family dwellings (MFD) Single room occupancy (SRO) Mingle Units Group homes Home sharing

http://www.mackinacparks.com

Collective Housing

Resident-owned Self-contained dwellings or suites Shared facilities in a common

building or central common space, for cooking, dining, social activities and childcare depending on the model

Decision-making is always by way of consensus

Generous private space Usually multiple single families Belief in community, utopian roots Examples

Co-housing Cooperatives Green Housing

http://www2.ljworld.com

http://www.jsonline.com

www.iit.edu/~rmurphy5/intro2.gif

Schindler House

conjoined housing

Schindler House, 1921

Conjoined Housing

Small scale Occupant owned Designed for non-discrete, non-traditional

households Designed for both common and private

space use Mainly purpose built, may also be formed

from two or more detached houses that are joined together to create shared space(s).

No single, stated philosophy in residents’ housing choice

Ecology

EquityEconomics

Introducing Sustainability

Re-plotting sustainable community housing typologies

Ecology

EquityEconomics

Adding time to the model

Ecology

EquityEconomics

1960’s1940’s

2000’s

Some conclusions…

NZ lacks alternatives to the single family house Household structures are not static and change with

society Greater diversity in housing types are required Different models are not being recognised and

researched ‘Sustainable housing’ is overly narrow in its current

definition All three components of sustainability need to be

included in any models of sustainable housing