Abstract:
For Us By Us – A Case for the Co-operative; investigates New Zealand’s housing affordability crisis, posing the critical question: how can co-operative housing typologies be adapted to New Zealand’s housing market to provide socially and economically sustainable housing? This thesis has been inspired by dinner conversations among friends on setting up property syndicates and pooling money towards shared housing alternatives. Cooperative living is a fairly new phenomenon in New Zealand in comparison to other countries. Inspired by the more informal and community inclusive co-operative housing “Baugruppe” models of Europe, For Us By Us investigates a model of co-operative housing specific to first time homeowners in New Zealand who cannot afford to invest in the existing property market. For Us By Us takes the form of a multiresidential urban housing complex, consisting of twenty: one, two and three bedroom units. The intention of this project is to take the principles of Berlin’s self made co-operatives and apply these to the New Zealand housing market in a way that resonates with Kiwis. These principles include equality, community, education, economic participation, solidarity and autonomy. According to author Kristien Ring, who writes on the failures and successes of Berlin’s co-operatives in her book Self made City; the success of a co-operative is valued on ten self made design qualities. These qualities include neighbourhood, futureoriented design, affordability, hybridization, custom-fit solutions, social sustainability, quality densification, communal spaces and open green spaces. The project will conclude by evaluating these self made qualities in terms of their social and economic merits, advocating that co-operative housing provides an exciting new avenue for a more localized, self made, user driven architecture.