In the Summer semester 2026, Atelier Stattbau* investigates strategies to address the acute housing crisis in Berlin and to provide more living space for everyone — under the premise of building as little as possible.

The high ecological footprint of building, alongside economic challenges (It’s expensive!), serves as a starting point to question building as the default response to housing shortages. The housing crisis is understood in the studio as a complex, “wicked problem” shaped by diverse, intertwined factors. The underlying thesis of the studio is that there is space, but it is poorly distributed and therefore unavailable as housing for those in need — ranging from unused rooms in large apartments to vacant office spaces.

At the beginning, participants research, analyze, and document key aspects such as legal frameworks, the economics of construction and maintenance, housing subsidies, housing biographies, speculation, administration, and political agendas. These investigations form the basis for project ideas which may include architectural designs but are also encouraged to employ other design methods. The goal is to develop independent approaches that question established architectural practices and make a concrete contribution to solving the real-world housing crisis.

*Atelier Stattbau researches and tests creative practices to actively engage in spatial discourse and urban development beyond designing new buildings.