To understand the problems of housing construction, it helps to take a look at the automotive industry. If vehicles were still handcrafted in small workshops today, mass motorization would never have occurred. Standardized, industrial production in large quantities has meant that the dream of owning your own car is now affordable. The fact that the dream of an affordable apartment is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill today also has to do with how houses are built. Compared to the automotive industry, the construction industry has developed little. Today, things are built largely as they were 125 years ago, individually and in small series. It’s as if Mercedes-Benz still produces cars today in the same way as the motor velocipede of 1894. The Opel Corsa of housing construction As long as construction costs were low, there was little pressure to innovate. But recently they have risen so much that building housing is hardly worthwhile anymore. The housing association GWH has therefore copied at least a few aspects from the automobile industry: It has developed a basic model for an apartment building that can be manufactured relatively inexpensively through standardization and simplification. The so-called Hessenhaus is essentially the Opel Corsa of housing construction: a solid offering that fulfills its purpose and is easy on the budget. More on the topic This can be the right solution for many applications – for example if existing settlements are to be densified or if inexpensive apartments are to be built quickly on inner-city brownfield sites. With the Hessenhaus, the GWH has done pioneering work that shows the direction in which housing construction can develop. It is conceivable that in the future there will be standardized house types in different price categories – just as Opel not only has the Corsa, but also the Grandland SUV in its range. Builders can then choose depending on the target group. The automotive industry can also learn from modular construction. However, the area of application of standardized houses is limited. When larger neighborhoods are planned, more than simple residential buildings are needed, namely daycare centers, shops, and open spaces. That alone doesn’t make architects unemployed. And as soon as the properties become more complicated, individual planning is required. That’s a good thing, because the quality of cities also determines their architectural diversity.
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