Baugruppen - collaborative housing in Germany
In the latest Beacon Blog, Nick Collins talks about one of the interesting approaches to affordable housing he came across in Germany: baugruppen.
Baugruppen is an approach to developing housing where private owners collaboratively build affordable multifamily projects. It’s not quite the same as co-housing - some include common spaces and facilities (e.g. gardens, community rooms, roof terraces) but these are not necessarily incorporated. However, like co-housing, baugruppen incorporate a participatory planning process. Multiple families get together and agree the design that suits everyone - these are usually multi-storey, multi-unit buildings (think apartments) rather than detached or semi-detached housing.