On Housing

Collective Housing: In-between Product and Process

Three thirds of Romanians live in apartment blocks, which is much above the European average; more than half of the architects are involved in residential projects, while the majority of new developments consist of collective housing complexes. Therefore, housing is a topic of strong interest for Romanian society at large; yet, do we really understand the intricate mechanisms underlying the spaces we inhabit and the connections and disruptions that they create within the city?

Given today’s context in which mass housing has increasingly become a marketing product, intensely advertised and wrapped in the most attractive packaging, the exhibition ON HOUSING provides a critical perspective on to the various actors involved: administrations, developers, architects, and resident/ end-user.

The voices of these actors are introduced along two different lines: the informative one, which outlines dwelling as process, and the experiential one, which points to dwelling as product. An invitation to reflect on present and future perspectives on the quality of housing, this exhibition consistently refers to those defining moments from the past of collective housing and debates in a contemporary key topics such as the right to housing; individuality and community; the directions followed today by the architectural project; economic rationality; marketing vs. reality.

By bringing together scholars, artists, and experts, as well as by building on the notoriety of upcoming international connected events, ON HOUSING focuses, thanks to its interdisciplinary approach, on setting up a dialog between the actors involved in the production of housing. In the long term, the purpose of this endeavor is to help the residents themselves become increasingly involved in this process.