Plane—Site, 2018, w/ PLANE—SITE with Niklas Maak, FAM, and ARUP (Eds.)

The influx of refugees to Berlin in the past years is increasing the demand for housing, while compounding a housing crisis that existed long before—one that is not only quantitative but also qualitative. Architects and urban planners are currently at the front line of the housing crisis and, alongside the wider population of Berlin, are stepping up as social and spatial innovators. While the social structure of the typical Berlin household has changed, current architectural models and government planning policies have not adapted accordingly. SUPERSPACE responds directly to the shortage of affordable, simple, and replicable forms of housing in Germany.

SUPERSPACE is an experimental project tackling the desire for communal living arrangements, with focused experimental thinking for flexible and sustainable units designed for multiple purposes. Guided by professor Dr. Niklas Maak, the international design and architecture collective FAM discussed and designed a series of structures to house up to 20 people. PLANE—SITE and world-renowned design firm ARUP provided guidelines and parameters for context, as well as technical and financial feasibility. Developed with the support of the Kulturstiftung des Bundes, and working at the scale of the city, the building and the human, the projects imagine new models for practical and affordable accommodation and integration in Berlin.