Living in transition – the legacy of the single-family home

Hardly any other form of housing is as deeply rooted in our collective imagination as the single-family home. It stands for freedom, security and self-realization – especially in the west of Austria, for example in Vorarlberg, where the proverbial “Schaffa, schaffa, Hüsle baua” (work, work, build a house) has not faded away, but is still considered a way of life in many places and is advertised as a model for success.

But this is precisely where the criticism comes in: While experts are increasingly calling for a rethink, the single-family home remains firmly anchored both socially and economically – with sometimes problematic consequences. As part of our research laboratories "F-Lab", a team in our Bregenz office produced the study “The legacy of the single-family home”. The article creates space for reflection, criticism and new perspectives on a form of housing caught between ideal and reality.

Social responsibility and why we need places of communication

As architects do we actually have a social responsibility? And do we fulfil it? When we deal with a project, we are initially confronted with the question of ‘How?’: How do I manage to accommodate a certain number of people in a given space? With this question we are neither acting ethically nor are we fulfilling our social responsibility. Only when we ask ‘For whom?’ and ‘What can we change for society?’ do we take the perspective of our users and think about moral principles.

Living space for all

When it comes to housing, the basic needs of a society are affected. And this includes an affordable, high-quality living space as well as public space. It is therefore the duty of all of us to ensure that everyone - regardless of their financial situation - has the right to a good living space. First and foremost, this requires diversity at a wide variety of levels - preferably demanded by the state. Because the time of pure residential blocks is over. We are knitting our city into neighbourhoods. And we are developing a variety of living spaces with focus on the people.

Space for the adults of tomorrow

How do we shape the society of the future? How do we create places for our children to learn and flourish?

The school system, we grow up in, is of great importance. It shapes us personally, moulds us as people and thus shapes society itself. A good school system can also help to provide educational opportunities for all and balance social differences. Educational concepts have changed considerably over the years. Schools today are ideally characterised by playful learning, movement and learning landscapes with different functions.

User perspective on learning environments

In our user series, we visit some of our projects and meet our users in an open dialogue, with perspectives from the other side. For us, it is an opportunity to gain insights from their daily life and get to the bottom of questions: What has stood the test of time and what would we do differently today? What emotions does a space trigger? How comfortable do the users feel? What do they like, what would they change?

This series also took us to a place we all know: school. Far more than a place of learning, it is a place for social interaction and value education and in some ways reflects our society. Hardly any other place combines community and the built environment as concisely as a school. In our interview with the Edlach primary school in Dornbirn, teaching staff and pupils talked about their school life and give us an insight into how they perceive their built environment.

User perspective – work environments

In our user series, we visited some of our projects and met our users in an open dialogue, with perspectives from the other side. For us, it was an opportunity to gain insights from their daily life and get to the bottom of questions: What has stood the test of time and what would we do differently today? What emotions does a space trigger? How comfortable do the users feel? What do they like, what would they change? We went on site and let our users have a say in this format.

One of our interviews took us to Klaus, in Vorarlberg, to the headquarters of the globally active company Omicron. Martin Pfanner, who led the company for many years and now works as a product manager, explains how the Omicron Campus fulfils the demand for comfort, sustainability and innovation. The corporate philosophy of founder Rainer Aberer was the basis of all planning from the very beginning.