Sampling housing : operational analysis of collective housing under five contemporary conditions

The main objective of this research is the creation of a system for analysis and diagnosis of European collective housing, based on the cataloging and mixing—sampling—of its main contemporary conditions. The aim is to establish the parameters from which it becomes possible to generate an operational, open, and transferable tool within the field of architectural design.

To this end, we examine the 20 years leading up to the 2007 housing crisis, a period that coincides with the formation of the European Union and the development of a common European market and legal framework. From 1987 to 2007, we will construct an argumentative map by intersecting the timelines of the emergence of various municipal offices focused on public housing, the legislative changes related to this production, and the creation of national building codes in the five major European capitals selected for this study: Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Berlin.

The criteria for selecting these cities correspond to the contextualization of five key conditions which, we believe, together offer a comprehensive framework for our research. Each city exemplifies one of the following core concepts: Adaptability, Sustainability, Connectivity, Habitability, and Sociability.