Collaborative Reuse and Activation of Buildings and Materials in Switzerland
Collaborative Activation and Reuse of the Existing Building Stock
With my research project BegeCH I have been a visiting scholar at the ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE in autumn 2025. My research project at ETH focuses on the collaborative activation of existing buildings and the promotion of collaborative housing and neighbourhood and urban development oriented towards the common good. During my visit, I conducted in-depth research on reuse and involved actors in non-profit building and urban transformation in the Swiss context. The ‘BegeCH’ research project examines selected case studies in Switzerland, exploring the perspectives of initiators, housing cooperatives, municipal actors and non-profit foundations in the collaborative activation of existing buildings, and their contributions to the development of long-term affordable housing and new housing models for diverse lifestyles and family forms.
In my talk, ‘Collaborative Activation and Reuse of the Existing Building Stock’ at the ETH Wohnforum, I provided insight into my interdisciplinary research on the collaborative activation of existing buildings from the perspectives of architecture, housing and urban research. My research on collaborative building transformation examines the activation of existing buildings for the common good and in a self-organised manner against the backdrop of climatic, social, and demographic changes. During my stay, I presented results from the interdisciplinary research project “BegeFa – Collaborative Use of Existing Buildings – Perspectives for Families” research project, a collaboration between the Professorship of Urban Design (TUM) and the German Youth Institute (DJI). This qualitative research combines surveys, expert interviews, and workshops. The first part of the interdisciplinary ‘BegeFa-1’ research project has been completed (Glogar, Heitkötter & Abbendhardt, 2025). The results present a discussion of the spatial and social aspects of converting various building types (e.g. farmhouses, industrial buildings, and schools) into collaborative, self-organised housing in urban and rural areas in Germany. They show which building types and locations have been transformed and who initiated, activated and developed these projects.
My research stay at ETH also provided an opportunity for the “ForFamily” research project at TUM to engage in dialogue with the “FamyCH” research project at ETH Wohnforum – ETH CASE. Both interdisciplinary research clusters conduct empirical studies on the changing dynamics of families within a variety of subprojects. Currently I am also TUM poject lead of the subproject “Housing for Families in Community and Neighbourhoods: Practices, Resources and Socio-Ecological Transformations (FaGeNa)” at the Professorship of Urban Design.
OFHAUS 