Olaf Bahner – författare

Once again time is running out: housing is needed quickly, a lot of it, and at affordable rental prices. However, what is the basis for realizing this vast housing construction program? Continuing as before, in accordance with the web of regulations of DIN norms and with the classical residential typologies of "single" and "small family"?It is time for a change of perspective. With the New Standards, ten architects plead the case for the opportunity to discuss quality, rather than the supposed safety of technical standards. New Standards stands for housing that focuses on the essential and that is rich in atmosphere, for residences that are compact and have adaptable spatial structures. This volume addresses how housing can remain affordable, how people can participate in the evolution of their city, as well as density as an opportunity for urban life.

There’s a new imperative in construction: preserve the existing stock! Ten architecture teams describe their individual strategies and attitudes with regard to the care of existing building and housing stock. They make a case for mindful retention and renovation of what is extant, as well as for exploring new ideas. Their strategies start with an appreciation of the buildings that are already there and of the permanence of construction. The central questions of the volume ask how city planning approaches and collaborations in the public interest can provide new possibilities for existing building stock, what potential for continued construction lies dormant in urban frameworks and in the “in-between cities”, and how unused buildings in regional locations can be activated through participation programs. On top of that, the contributors formulate strategies for buildings that are being constructed today—the housing stock of the future—ranging from the circular use of materials to creating openness and transformability for challenges yet to come.