relationships. Does the group of households that chose to co-exist still get along? For how many is the Baugruppe a commitment to collective living? And how many chose to leave and sell their units, and what does that do to the ecosystem? The project was finished four years ago, so it is still relatively early days for the residents. But the architects report that households are getting along well and discussions continue regarding many aspects of living there, including ideas for engaging further with their neighbors, the longtime, less affluent renters living in the surrounding towers. Now that people live here,” says Verena von Beckerath, “and we see the children grow up, we see that the architecture project and the lives of its inhabitants really work in a very nice way. It’s not that the project is not finished, but it has a certain character or ability to adapt to future lives, and that’s what I think is really
SHELTERING
to apply the experience to multifamily, rental housing: “We learned from the users, we learned a lot from this negotiation process, and we hope that we can introduce these ideas also into a more anonymous context of social housing.” For Baugruppen to make sense costs, have to be kept down, and as Berlin’s land rises in price, this becomes trickier. Up until recently, it was possible to keep costs relatively low because the City of Berlin gave developers of Baugruppen help to keep the land affordable. Von Beckerath explained that the city offers the land to Baugruppen in a bidding process based not on price but on the quality of their residential concept. Then it holds the land for them at a stable price while the group seeks partners and raises funds. Von Beckerath says that “this part of the foundation of a Baugruppe is very critical” because Baugruppen usually have the problem that forming a group and bidding for a plot at the same time is almost impossible. But given the heat on the Berlin property market and the appeal of the R50 flats, what happens if an owner decides to sell? Is there a limit on how much they can sell it for? Does the collective have to approve the the new buyer?” She says that Baugruppen don’t set down resale price limits or right of collective approval -- unlike coops. But she says the individual owners of R50 are currently working on a manifesto which is “based on trust.” All of this gives an idealistic feeling to the movement, prompting a question: are Baugruppen-type complexes possible anywhere, or are they particular to Berlin’s particular history and culture?
interesting about it. We love it.” Now Heide & Von Beckerath and ifau are working on an ambitious Baugruppe project at the site of the former central flower market in Kreuzberg. To be completed this year, “Integratives Bauprojekt Ehemaligen Blumengrossmarkt” comprises almost 100 owner-occuped artist workshops and apartments, cooperative housing, and studios, as well as spaces for communal activities and small businesses. The Baugruppen owners have jointly developed what the architects describe as the project’s “spatial and social focus” and have placed emphasis on public and semi-public connections to a neighborhood defined by post-war buildings. In addition, they are involved in a new Baugruppen project with 55 units in Fürth, Germany. Christoph Schmidt adds that he hopes
America has had its own tradition of utopian living but the single family home owned by a single family so dominates zoning codes and the thinking of risk-averse banks that creating alternatives is a challenge. Cooperative housing has its roots in the Berlin of a century ago, but it took off in the 1970s and 80s when counter-culture Berliners squatted houses and, says von Beckerath, "really wanted to live together and create their own collective lifestyle." One person who believes it might be possible is Rick Corsini, principal at Corsini Stark Architects in Los Angeles. While his own firm has explored ways in which to build relatively affordable homes in pricey neighborhoods through small lot subdivision (such as Perlita Mews in Atwater Village, shown below), he has an even closer connection to the cohousing topic: he has spent over 20
ABOVE: Domino House - Inspired open plan coupled with low-cost materials allow for customized layouts for each unit. Outward-opening glazed doors bring in light and allow access to the perimeter balcony - Courtesy Andrew Alberts Q1 -2017
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