Name : Aadil Nagdawala
Atelier : InfraSpace
Work experience : ADP Architects
Undergrad : MSA

Hi, this is Aadil. I joined atelier Infra.Space after my Part 1 placement because I like mid-to-large scale projects that consider their impact from immediate context to nationwide effects.

The blockchain aspect of this live project is what interested me- exploiting the potential of a new technology to impact one of our most traditional institutions - housing.

Name : Adwoa Botchey
Atelier : Advanced Practice
Work Experience : AEW Architects
Undergrad : MSA

Hi, this is Adwoa! My main interests are in exploring sustainable and inclusive architecture. With a background in art and design I would like to help others explore a more artistic approach to architectural thinking.

Name : Daryl Law
Atelier : Continuity in Architecture
Work Experience : Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios ; Ong & Ong 360 Consultancy Sdn Bhd
Undergrad : University of Edinburgh

Hi! this is Daryl. I’ve joined ownHaus because it suits my interest in architecture and technology that bring people together. I’ve developed this interest through higher education, adaptive reuse and volunteering projects. ownHaus allows me to further pursue this interest, in collaboration with developers and architects who are working to make this blockchain-powered housing model a reality in Manchester and the UK.

Joining ownHaus will be a great opportunity for you to sharpen your skills in visually communicating ideas and collaborative working. As we help you grow your skills and creativity, we'll develop housing concepts that overcome spatial and financial limitations of conventional housing models.

Name : Henry Mole
Atelier : InfraSpace
Work Experience : Wincer Kievenaar Architects Ltd. (2 Years Out)
Undergrad : University of Lincoln

Henry’s main interests within the architectural discipline are Social Housing, Brutalism and the Architecture of the Early Soviet Union.

His experience during his year out was in the redevelopment of listed buildings and the preservation of architectural elements within.

Name : Irina Munteanu
Atelier : Praxxis
Work Experience : DAY Architectural
Undergrad : MSA

Allowing freedom of thought in creative arts field has enabled a mediator thinking in the way I view design. I am an excited individual towards architecture that fosters dialogue and stimulates dynamic interaction.

If you’re eager to investigate topics on affordable housing and creating age-friendly communities, we will get along just great.

Name : Maria Tavares Duarte
Atelier : Advanced Practice
Work Experience : Andrew Wallace Architects & Interior Designers
Undergrad : Anglia Ruskin University

Passions : Sustainable architecture and spaces that can strengthen communities.
Experience : Redevelopment of low-rise residential buildings and Villa's proposal
Skills: Visual arts background / Photoshop and Sketchup

Getting ready...
Week 1:

MONDAY
We’ll start the first week with learning about the potentials for housing design with ownHaus system from Steven Lock, the founder. At the start of the live project we will also discuss with you methods for remote collaborative drawing based on your skills and preferences.


TUESDAY
Brian Tyrell will guide us on the funding model of ownHaus based on blockchain, followed by It’s a day for learning about alot of new and existing knowledge on housing.


WEDNESDAY
We will break into smaller groups to take on one of these tasks:
1) Through drawing social housing precedents, we will learn about different aspects that make them successful - you may draw or diagramize its layout, its users, its facilities, the activities it accommodates, amongst others.

2) We will look at a potential site for ownHaus housing in Manchester, and study through drawing its surrounding amenities, its history, and the opportunities it presents. We hope it to be a good start to apply your drawings skills!


THURSDAY
Thursday’s the time to share with each other our drawings and findings from Wednesday. They could be a jumping board to develop alternative ideas for our ownHaus housing design.

FRIDAY
The people are just as important as the buildings. The best tool of an architect is empathy - think of people from different genders, ages, careers, etc that we can help to live together in harmony!

DAY 2 // DEVELOPING THE BRIEF

We discussed the issues in existing real estate models that could be resolved by ownHaus.

As a “crowfunded” housing model, ownHaus removes the burden on homeowners to pay interests on top of their loan repayments to banks or mortgage providers.

This disintermediation also removes the burden to abide by the rules of traditional financial institutions, to have to repay the cost of a property within the lifetime of one homeowner. Housing can be affordable when its cost can be financed over the lifetime of the building instead, and charges one only what they need, as they use it.

More sustainable, energy-efficient design can further relieve the financial burden on low-income residents, to cover expenses for instance in energy bills and furniture, which has been a long-exisiting problem in some existing social housing buildings.

ownHaus opens up the possibility to incorporate more revenue-generating amenities that can be shared with the city, and to gain revenue through its digital real estate investment tokens, thereby providing a stable share of affordable accommodation for singles, families, students, workers, creatives and pensioners.

DAY 5 // OWNHAUS ON SITE

It’s been an amazing first week with our ownHaus team! After understanding the creative and financial aspects of the ownHaus housing model, the students have begun to test their design ideas on a carpark site tucked away behind Circle Square and the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. The students turned the constraints presented to them into opportunities to introduce their design moves.

The “base” of the housing project houses facilities that can be shared with the city. A horseshoe plan creates a distance with the adjacent railway, at the same time defining a series of courtyards. Facilities placed on the north edge afford a higher level of privacy and connection to River Medlock

A modular design method based on 6x6m grids enables fast assembly of pre-fabricated parts, customized to suit any chosen site in a city.

By integrating with its surroundings, for instance defining one of the entrances as a semi pedestrianized street for the bars and music venues, the project has potential to create a new vibrant neighbourhood in the city centre.

ownHaus Week 2

MONDAY 17 May
On the second week, we’ll continue to develop the overall architectural volume of our ownHaus project. Using a range of design tools, we could develop a number of aspects such as living spaces, shared communal spaces, outdoors and nature, and so on.

TUESDAY 18 May
We’re excited to welcome our collaborators, Lisa and Rob from Project3, to share their experience in designing social housing projects! Following that, we’ll exchange our ideas in a workshop session.

WEDNESDAY 19 May
After we’ve developed the massing of our project, here’s the chance to design in more detail the living spaces in modules.

We’ll check our progress and work towards finalizing our ownHaus proposals, making sure our diagrams, drawings and models convey our ideas and interests clearly.

THURSDAY 20 May
Get ready to collate our images into competition-style boards! This format is great for a range of presentations - for exhibitions, competitions, portfolios, etc.

FRIDAY 21 May
To conclude our short but exciting Live Project, we’ll set up a virtual exhibition/presentation with our collaborators. Time for you to take the lead and share your ideas!

DAY 8 // LOOKING BACK: WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH DRAWINGS

We are thrilled to see our BA students giving their creative input after exploring ownHaus' blockchain-based crowdfunding system and working through the preparatory stage of our proposal. Working with hand drawings allowed us to convey our ideas swiftly and clearly. We then established a set of design principles through discussing the strengths and similarities of their individual sketches.

DAY 8 // LOOKING BACK: WORKING TOGETHER THROUGH DRAWINGS

Another fantastic sketching session with our BA students! Following our presentation to our collaborators, we got together to further develop our ownHaus proposal based on the feedback we received. We explored ways to better respond to the shape and surroundings of our chosen site whilst preserving the modularity of our initial design. Our ownHaus team again rose to the challenge of synthesizing their ideas while working together remotely. Well done!

DAY 8 // DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

We were excited to gain new ideas and suggestions from our collaborators, Steve from ownHaus and Rob+Lisa from Project3 Architects. After our presentation, we improved our ownHaus proposal to better respond to our chosen site, while maintaining a modular design method so that our modular prototypes can be later tailored to different locations.

The three main wings now follow the curve of River Medlock. They are connected by large terraces that can hold communal amenities and potted plants that act as an acoustic buffer to the adjacent railway. The overall mass steps down towards the south to admit more daylight to the ground-level open space. A new pond strengthens the concept of a new urban oasis in Manchester - we're excited to see how it will be developed further!

DAY 10 // FINAL PRESENTATION

On our last day, we presented our infographic interpretation of ownHaus' financial mechanism and creative aims, which we developed as the Live Project was underway.

The ownHAUS founding model: As a crowfunded housing model, ownHaus removes the burden on homeowners to pay interests on top of their loan repayments to banks or mortgage providers. This disintermediation also removes the commitment to abide by traditional financial institutions’ rules to repay the cost of a property within the lifetime of one homeowner. Housing can be affordable when its price is financed over the lifetime of the building instead, and charges one only what they need, as they use it. Value is transferred from the real estate to the blockchain tokens issued to backers. The tokens increase in value from being traded on the market and from the growth of the ownHaus brand; residents can eventually redeem their investments through bonuses. Furthermore, revenue generated can be used to subsidize living costs for essential workers, young adults, and vulnerable groups.

DAY 10 // FINAL PRESENTATION

Excerpt from today’s presentation with our ownHaus collaborators:

This infographic diagram visually represents our user-focused programme's development and the ownHaus modular response to their needs. ownHAUS design principles rely on sheltering each member of our community, regardless of payslip, age or identity. Our group has drafted modules ideas by splitting its users into two categories: multiple and single occupants. This intersectional community’s programme generates ownHAUS living configurations based on their needs.

DAY 10 // FINAL PRESENTATION

Excerpt from today’s presentation with our ownHaus collaborators:

An Infographic diagram visually representing how the traditional real-estate system is broken compared to ownHaus - Re-orienting funding based on creating pleasant spaces rather than profit allows for a radical shift in priorities. Traditional housing funding systems vs. ownHaus funding system: Based on digital currency, it is creating the flexibility of renting with the asset accumulation of a mortgage.

DAY 10 // WRAPPING UP

We're happy to have concluded our Live Project on a high!
Our ownHaus team gave another great presentation to our collaborators, showing the improvements to the design since the last meeting as well as the visualizations of the activities and living environment that is possible with the ownHaus system. We were happy to hear that our collaborators from ownHaus and Project3 are excited to extend this form of engagement in the future to more people who are interested in the new housing model.

We cannot be more proud of our BA students, who not only intuitively understood the technical aspects of the ownHaus model but taken it further with their creative ideas and designs. Throughout the Live Project the students worked together through brain-storming, group sketching, drawing and modelling. They have achieved the following targets:

- To develop a command of a blockchain-based crowdfunded housing model
- To design a sociable and integrated housing project based on the opportunities and constraints of a city centre site
- To develop a set of modular prototypes that can be assembled and tailored to a wider range of locations and user-groups

Well done!