HausAufgaben (HomeWork) – a workshop series

Under the motto “ZukunftsLAND” (FutureLAND), western Münsterland is seeking new ways into the future as part of Regionale 2016. One theme is dealing with the urban construction challenges emerging in the residential estates built for families between the 1950s and 1970s. Many of these estates are not only facing much-needed energy conversion work, the mostly homogenous inhabitant structures are also being affected above all by demographic change. Parallel to this, new living and family models are having a sustainable changing effect on the demand for residential space.

In addition to addressing building, urban construction, and social issues, carrying out a dialogue with residents is the central task to be done in order to keep the areas attractive in the future. That is why the future “HausAufgaben”, that is, the tasks to be taken on with respect to these family housing estates that were built between the 1950s and the 1970s, are to be discussed as part of a regional workshop process. The aim is to talk with local inhabitants about the upcoming structural change and about living together in future – with a focus on their family homes as well as other neighbourhoods and districts.

The “HausAufgaben” workshop series got underway in June 2015 with a 10-day launch workshop in Dorsten-Barkenberg for and with house owners, residents and anyone interested in thinking and talking about the future of their property and of the family housing estates. A vacant store was turned into a temporary place for intense exchange. In three individual workshops and an accompanying programme of events, the workshop, which involved future analysts, planning, design and finance specialists, as well as students, embarked on a search for the special features of the residential areas and the town itself. The focus was just as much about seeing the location in a positive light, looking at different development scenarios with a view to the future, and coming up with ideas for new communities, as it was about successful examples in practice and concrete impulses to show how single family houses can be adapted to meet current and future residential needs.

“HausAufgaben (HomeWork) – A workshop series on the future of areas of single-family homes from the 1950s to the 1970s” is a joint project of the City of Dorsten, Regionale 2016, and StadtBauKultur NRW.

This project was presented as part of the 2015 Baukultur Workshops in Frankfurt.