This workshop posits an alternative to the traditional developer model of housing production. It explores models in which the land, the community, the architectural team, constructors, and financial resources are organized in new or unconventional ways. It will prioritize the process of housing production and will challenge the students to cooperate creatively with all the players involved in creating a more equitable and sustainable built environment. The five constituent groups (land, community, architectural team, constructors, and finance) and the structure of the contracts that govern the relationships between them will be the focus of our research and creative explorations.
The workshop structure will include discussions with experts from outside Yale, a field trip to historically important housing projects in NYC, and new research performed by and in conversation with the student participants. The format will be collaborative, rigorous, and invested in an expansive definition of design as an instrument for the creation of new housing possibilities. The outcome of the workshop will be the creation of a contract that sets up working relationships and responsibilities between the five constituent parties. This document will function as both a social and a legal agreement. The contract will form the basis for speculations that go beyond conventional profit driven development models and will consider organizations that seek value creation on multiple fronts.