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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.