Studio N, MArch, Hong Kong University, Fall 2024

Prof. Sabine Storp, Visiting Professor

In his book A Pattern Language, published 1977, Christopher Alexander catalogues altogether 253 “patterns” in architecture. Each pattern, or (architectural) element is described as itself and in the context of a bigger system – architecture. They are presented as ‘good solutions’ to generic problems. The work is based on his earlier work, the Oregon Experiment published 1975. Here communities were encouraged to get more involved in the shaping of their ultimate environment. This resulted in a community encyclopedia offering sample solutions to specific issues. According to Christopher Alexander architecture only exists to solve, human problems’.

The studio’s interest lies in the careful observation of communities, the challenging of the regulatory frameworks, design research and innovation and to imagine a speculative part of the city set within a real context. They form the testing ground for the interdisciplinary cooperation between the different stakeholders. These new methodologies create the conditions to make the city more livable presenting an alternative concept of living and working within the margins of the city. Students will create buildings beyond housing. Projects will engage with a combination of programmes or will address the necessity of diverse housing, providing a different offering of living within a metropolis.

Addressing Social aspects as flexibility and shared spaces, climate justice, Re-use and re-purposing, re-thinking lifespan, Climate positive materials and production chains

“Living together’ is a familiar concept for Asian culture. If we look at our traditional way of living, we spatially and socially co-live in a community of the network of small clusters of people comprising space for parents, grandparents, younger generations, passed-away ancestors and neighbours. This reflects in the spatial design of our houses, communities and cities.

We embraced new legal systems, new politics, neo-liberalism economy, modernization and urbanization. Respectively, we shifted from a co-living community to ‘public housing’ and ‘real-estate housing’, which focus greatly on the physical and technical dimensions of the housing development. Both are ‘individual housing’ where people live isolated from others. The acknowledgement of the social structure in a co-living community was undermined. The value of housing was transformed from the focus on ‘community’ to ‘commodity’. We now talk about ‘selling’ and ‘buying’ houses; not how we live, interact and network with others as a community.”

Somsook Boonyabancha: Community Architect Movements in Asia