1. 01:59

    Interdisciplinary research team

    Introduction

    Two-thirds of the German population aspire to own a private home with a garden (Interhyp, 2021). The detached single-family house remains a coveted ideal, closely aligning with the personal aspirations and needs of many. This preference is evidenced by the 16.1 million single-family homes across Germany. However, discussing this housing type without bias is challenging (Destatis, 2022).

    The home becomes a focal point where social, ecological, and architectural-planning crises converge, revealing significant potential for transformative change.

    Fellowship Forschungswerkstatt
    Krise und Transformation des Eigenheims

    Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
    Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU)
    Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism

    Belvederer Allee 5
    
99425 Weimar, Germany

  2. 08:55

    Johanna Günzel, Kassandra Löffler

    The dream of a house with a garden – Is there another way?

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    A garden (of your own)?, Illustration: Marijpol, 2023

    The decision to buy and live in a single-family house with a garden is not always rational: the long-term financial burden, the sole responsibility for a house, from the basement to the roof, the location and immobility … even on an individual level, there are many arguments that actually speak against this housing decision. Despite these arguments, it is a persistently popular form of housing. In the sub-project Wohnwünsche und ihre Erfüllung zwischen Gemeinschaftsprojekt und Eigenheim, we asked ourselves why?

  3. 08:21

    Michael Schwind, Elodie Vittu

    What does the single-family house have to do with home and land ownership?

    In recent years, the single-family house has undergone various changes. However, one aspect has remained constant: the concept of private ownership persists as the underlying logic of the single-family house. Single-family house developments and home ownership, both in terms of land and housing, are closely intertwined as a result.

  4. 10:00

    Elodie Vittu, Michael Schwind

    Home ownership biographies – A first approach through interviews

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    The money stays in the house, in the bedroom to be precise. Late at night, however, the bank comes round to collect the interest on the mortgage, Illustration: Moriz Oberberger, 2023

    The sub-project takes the concept of the homeownership biography as a starting point to explore the genesis and realization of desires for homeownership.

  5. 03:30

    Julia von Mende, Hanna Maria Schlösser

    The Single-Family House for Disposition – Empirical knowledge and designing further

    In Germany, there are 16 million single-family homes, each with one or two apartments (Destatis, 2022, p.16). To grasp the vast scale of these existing buildings, consider this illustrative calculation: If each house accommodated five individuals, the 83 million residents of Germany could theoretically all have a roof over their heads. This scenario highlights a significant potential for transformation within the realm of urban planning. However, such a transformation can only be achieved in collaboration with the residents.

  6. 04:05

    Julia von Mende, Hanna Maria Schlösser

    Half Measures – An empirical research-based teaching format

    In the summer semester of 2023, at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Studies, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar we conducted the seminar Half Measures - Das Einfamilienhaus zur Disposition as part of the sub-project Weiterentwerfen. This seminar focused on investigating in housing practices in single-family houses. The objective was to gather insights for potential reallocations, transformations, and densifications of the existing stock, in light of the increasingly underused space within these houses. An empirical case study, undertaken in collaboration with students through a research-based teaching format, provided an exploratory foray into this new research field. The students showcased their case studies at the summaery, the annual exhibition of the Bauhaus-Universität, in July 2023.

  7. 02:09

    Julia von Mende, Hanna Maria Schlösser

    Thesis Group Single-Family House – Application of empirical knowledge in planning and design

    Building upon the empirical study of single-family houses and their residents from the research-based teaching format Half Measures - Das Einfamilienhaus zur Disposition in the summer semester of 2023, the winter semester of 2023/24 will see the practical application of this knowledge in design. In this context, a thesis within the B.Sc. Architecture program will be offered, focusing on the single-family house.

  8. 01:26

    Mirka Pflüger

    Housing practices in Weimar – A photographic documentation

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    Housing practices in Weimar, Photography: Mirka Pflüger, 2023
  9. 08:18

    Interdisciplinary research team

    Guide to research – Interviews as a method for housing research

    An interview is a form of conversation between one or more people that is used in science to gather experiences from people who would not otherwise make them available for scientific discourse. The nature of the interview is shaped significantly by the interviewee and their potential contributions to the research question. Common forms include expert interviews, narrative interviews, and guided interviews. In the context of a research workshop, the latter two were employed. This article presents a detailed analysis of these methods, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

  10. 03:30

    Interdisciplinary research team

    Construction Sign

    For many, the single-family house with a garden represents an almost unchallenged ideal. Yet, often overlooked are its ecological impacts, like land sealing and increased heating demand, economic factors such as the cost of infrastructure development, and societal consequences, including the perpetuation of social inequalities and traditional gender roles.

    THESE COSTS ARE BORNE BY SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

    beitraege/bauschild 231113_forschungswerkstatt_efh_bauschild_web_dsc0737.jpg
    The Construction Sign on the Campus of the BauhausUniversity Weimar for summaery23, Photography: Florian Marenbach, 2023
  11. 18:51

    Laura Fritsche, Janina Hain, Madita Pyschik, Cora Sauré

    Between new beginnings and habit. The role of urban planning in dealing with single-family housing neighbourhoods

    The vision of a socio-ecological spatial development is difficult to reconcile with the single-family home. Based on this observation, Laura Fritsche, Janina Hain, Madita Pyschik and Cora Sauré investigated the long-term consequences for spatial development as part of their thesis projects for the M.Sc. and B.Sc. Urbanistik. The four theses combine thorough analyses with the development of concrete ideas and proposals on how urban planning could respond to the various challenges of the single-family home. In spring of 2024, the authors produced this abridged versions of their texts to present their findings to a broader public on the Forschungswerkstatt website. Their contribution is framed by an introductory text and a conclusion written by Johanna Günzel, Sandra Huning and Michael Schwind, Chair of Urban Planning, who had, together with their colleague Carsten Praum, supervised the thesis projects.

  12. 05:23

    Interdisciplinary research team

    Epilogue and Reflection

    Forschungswerkstatt Krise und Transformation des Eigenheims is a research project funded by the Bauhaus University Weimar within the framework of the Fellowship Forschungswerkstatt. It aims to examine the social, ecological, and architectural-planning crises of the owner-occupied home and to identify possibilities for social-ecological transformation.

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    Sketches for the word mark of the Forschungswerkstatt Krise und Transformation des Eigenheims, sketch, 2022

    Fellowship Forschungswerkstatt
    Krise und Transformation des Eigenheims

    Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
    Institute for European Urban Studies (IfEU)
    Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism

    Belvederer Allee 5
    
99425 Weimar, Germany