How to live? | Baugruppe!
Project title: Exhibition Baugruppe ist super!
Location: Shoowroom Kvalitář, Prague, Czech Republic
Year: 2015
Curators: Helena Doudova & Marek Kopeć
Client: Kvalitář
BAUGRUPPE (in German “bauen” – to build, “Gruppe” – group) is a term for a concept of building and living based on the individual initiative of mini-builders and architects. An architect and a group of individuals cooperate directly to build a house, usually an urban apartment building that is adapted to the specific needs of the clients as well as to their common ideas about shared spaces and functions of the building.
What differentiates Baugruppe projects from ordinary homes is primarily the dialogue between the architect and the client (a group of mini-builders) during the design process – every project is unique and reflects the dynamics and the requirements of the group. A project can be initiated by an architect or the members of the group, the future inhabitants of the house, who buy a plot of land. After that the architect and the Baugruppe start organising common meetings to openly discuss the design of the building. When an agreement is reached, a residential structure is built. The Baugruppe members become owners of their individually adapted apartments. What is special about Baugruppe projects is the new kinds of neighbourhood relationships, shared spaces such as meeting rooms and shared terraces, and a number of sustainable design solutions. The project does not necessarily include constructing new housing; many projects are based on the renovation or conversion of existing buildings.