SODUA (School for Degrowth Urbanism and Architecture)
In 'The Housing Theory of Everything', Southwood et al. posit that the supply, quality, distribution and cost of housing underpins many societal issues. These include 'slow growth, climate change, poor health, financial instability, economic inequality and falling fertility'. These issues are the result of (and compatible with) properly functioning, but utility misallocating markets. Responding to the systemic polycrisis, we must ask the question: are markets the most appropriate system from producing and allocating housing in the 21st century, and is growth the measure of its success? An alternative to the conventional growth orientated housing market already exists- social housing.
Politicians from both sides of the spectrum admit that we need more (and promise to provide more) 'affordable' and green homes. This project asks: how could a new form of social architecture consider both the historic and emerging problems with housing? More interestingly, how can our buildings make use of emergent possibilities?
SODUA (School of Degrowth Urbanism and Architecture) aims to be a hub from which mixed use developments can be co-designed to align with ultimately degrowing the economy within the planetary and ecological boundaries whilst addressing collective welfare goals directly.
This building itself embodies principles of regenerative architecture; producing energy, collecting and purifying water and supporting ecosystems. In engages with the ideas of circularity and sharing, with the building designed to be adapted and changed in the long term. The ultimate aim is for the building's constituent parts to be returned to the earth safely, with its biological and technical nutrients separated an circularised.
