We architects need to scrutinise our tasks more closely and not only consider the structural, ecological and economic aspects of a building project, but also the political, financial, cultural and social aspects - think buildings holistically. Who are the users? What are their needs? Which stakeholders does a new place need? What impact do these people have on each other and on the neighbourhood? What financing models are possible - building groups, private ownership, privately financed or subsidised rent, community building, assisted living - as a team of architects, we need to have this mix in mind and demand it.

By answering just a few of these questions, there are already hundreds of different floor plans on the table. A home that provides a living space, is able complete these human stories. Housing is currently undergoing the greatest change: Patchwork families, digital nomads, young peple who prioritise sharing, exchanging and participating over any form of ownership, coupled with the pressing shortage of land and financial resources - all this forces us to create a highly adaptable and open space. In terms of construction, the most crucial condition for that is the dismantling of components, down to the primary supporting structure.

Thinking in flexible building structures

On another level, however, we will have to learn to reduce our space requirements. It is not about creating even smaller miniatures of the individual living, dining and bedroom functions. We rather need to think in terms of generous spaces that are capable of intelligently layering daily routines in multiple ways. The focus is not on the number of rooms, but on the variety of floor plans and scenarios.

We also need to think in terms of flexible building structures, in which communal areas and diverse commercial, educational and cultural functions are intertwined with private spaces. This interdisciplinary approach results not only in well-functioning ground floor zones, but also in life cycle structures that can adapt their functions just as quickly as their surfaces and wall colours.

From a personal point of view, I would like to think of spaces as processes. To prepare them in such a way that they can grow and endure the waiting time, in a purely static shell construction, without a building envelope. To introduce a ‘growing ground floor zone’ that allows the unused areas to be left empty - with prepared connections in the shell so that windows, façades and pipes can be installed later - but empty for the time being, used as an outdoor space. So that people can develop a need for a missing function in the neighbourhood, look for operators or even set up their own businesses. So that they feel the opportunity to shape their neighbourhood.

This is exactly how a home is created that extends far beyond the walls of your own home, where you can make something your own. And that means helping to shape it, changing it, leaving a mark. So that our living spaces are not preconceived, rigid ideas of past experiences, but dynamic organisms that, like a garden, can only grow and develop more and more over time.