In the twentieth century, modern architects approached housing as a project centered on affordability, standardization, and efficiency. In the postwar period, there was an urgent need to provide basic hygiene and shelter quickly, and industrialization offered the tools to build at scale. These priorities brought important gains but often came at the cost of social diversity, ecological awareness, and long-term adaptability. Standardization was closely tied to zoning, a mode of planning that separated living, working, and leisure into distinct areas, as if these aspects of life had no influence on one another. This way of thinking pushed industry to the margins and treated it as separate from domestic life, ignoring the social and environmental consequences of such separation. Given that housing occupies a large portion of our cities, it must be understood as more than a commodity. Today, we are living with the outcomes: industrial activity has contributed to ecological degradation, while social fragmentation continues to deepen.

In response to these challenges, the course is premised on the idea that many contemporary problems are fundamentally matters of care. Since housing forms such a significant part of urban life, it is central to addressing these issues. Architectural decisions at the scale of the unit, the building, and the city shape both social relations and environmental outcomes. Through lectures, case studies, and critical discussions, the course explores housing as a space of interdependence among people, systems, and the planet, asking: How can housing support diverse forms of life and foster long-term care for one another, our cities, and the planet? These questions will be examined through five matters of concern:

Community: Housing cooperatives, mutual aid, and shared infrastructure
Difference: Designing for plural identities, cultures, and bodies
Live and Work: Hybrid domestic models in the aftermath of the pandemic
Flexibility and Appropriation: Forms that adapt over time and support collective stewardship
Well-being: Material, emotional, and planetary health in relation to housing

Each of these concerns will begin with a lecture by Farshid Moussavi, followed by a guest speaker presentation, and expanded through student-led presentations and discussions. Guests include Cristina Gamboa (Lacol), Phillip Denny, and Jonathan Kischkel (Gesewo), with additional speakers to be confirmed before the start of classes.

This course is structured as a research seminar to provide students with historical, theoretical, and practical insight into the design of collective housing. Weekly sessions combine lectures, guest talks, and student-led presentations to explore how housing intersects with care, community, ecology, and spatial justice. Each class engages a specific housing concern through conceptual frameworks and case studies, supporting both studio work and independent research.

Offered in parallel with the design studio Housing as an Ecology of Care, students are encouraged to enroll in both courses. The seminar is intended to provide research and critical grounding for design exploration.

The class will meet every Friday. Farshid Moussavi meets weekly with students either in person or remotely. Phillip Denny will be present on the days that Farshid teaches remotely. See the course syllabus for details.