Wooncooperatie Stroom, online co-creation sessions
in collaboration with Crouwdbuilding. Amsterdam, 2020-ongoing
Wooncooperatie Stroom is a housing cooperative in Amsterdam. At the moment still at an early stage of development.
“Housing cooperatives are a key player in the push for affordable and dignified housing against speculative markets. They enable tenants and users to reclaim part of the housing market according to their needs and concerns. Increasing the amount of community-driven social houses will also make the housing market more resilient in times of economic crises. Amsterdam has been an early pioneer in social cooperative housing and has always made room for innovation and development: By building upon this history, we intend to go further than our predecessors and prototype a housing cooperative fit for a new era.” (according to Het Nieuwe Meent - a housing cooperative in Amsterdam)
Plou has joined Housing Cooperative Stroom in 2020. At that time the city government invited building groups of citizens to develop their housing project in one of the 13 given locations.
Because of the housing crisis*, Amsterdam is searching alternatives to the regular social housing procedures by launching a housing cooperative fund. Housing cooperatives can develop a significant amount of affordable housing in the city as well as creating a more sustainable and social environment.
13 given locations in Amsterdam for Housing cooperatives.*(housing shortage, prices are too high, midrandge tenants are forced to leave the city and schools are loosing their teachers, just to mention an exemple).
All the members of Stroom share the same dream: to build a village the size of a cityplot and beyond, inviting the neighbourhood to take part of our project.
Our core values and ideals are expressed in a vision document and website. “Stroom” means Flow as well as Energy.
“Imagine that Stroom being translated into an actual building. A building where families, elderly, students... can Flow through the diverse house typologies as they grow and change, allowing them to stay in the building and giving them a sence of belonging. A building that generates Energy instaead of only consuming it. Energy seen as pure electricity and warmth as well as work and care for eachother.” (according to a member of the Housing Cooperative Stroom)
Our community will be based on a structure of co-living with shared use and management of resources.
Plou supports the Housing Cooperative Stroom in translating their vision into a collective design and helping the construction of a residential building with common spaces and a low environmental impact. We are shaping the process of co-creation where we give each member the tools to express their needs, concerns and wishes regarding the building.
We inform the members about technical and financial consequences. We will learn from other collective housing projects. We will think and decide toghether innovative approaches for housing typologies, sustainable solutions and shared facilities.
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First co-creation session held online due to Corona measures.
Website Wooncooperatiestroom
