24_MACHINE-À-HABITER

MACHINE-À-HABITER

Winter 2024/25

In recent years, there has been increasing attention towards ‘alternative’ forms of housing, such as cooperative and collective models. This design studio, however, focuses on social housing, a sector that has long been marginalized and stigmatized. Its role is especially critical today, given the escalating housing crisis. While social housing architecture was a field of design experimentation from the late 19th century through much of the 20th century, recent projects and realization suggest that this innovative attitude is now waning. The studio aims to rethink the architecture of social housing by developing innovative typologies that a dress changing demographics, by rethinking construction methods and domestic technologies, and by exploring new approaches to housing management and care. The studio will work on a series of projects in the outskirts of Paris. The choice of Paris is driven by the opportunity to engage with real-life situations, exemplified by the work of local social/public housing agencies such as Paris Habitat, which have recently organized significant design competitions. Paris also offers a rich history of social housing developments, from the Cité Napoléon and postwar Grand Ensemble to more recent interventions.