LSE London’s Melissa Fernández and Kath Scanlon contributed a chapter to this new open access book entitled Self-Build Homes: Social Discourse, Experiences and Directions. The chapter, titled Of Flux or finality? On the process and dynamics of a co-housing group in formation, gives an account of how five years after Featherstone first came together, it found itself ina sense, starting from scratch. This is this same Featherstone project described in one of the three sites we visited in 2015, and produced a video describing the projects (click here to see YouTube video). Melissa and Kath have also published a journal article describing the collaborative design process behind Featherstone Lodge.
A brief excerpt describing the key themes:
“We attempt to fill some of the crucial gaps we see in both the mainstream and alternative housing literature concerning the realm of the social within processes of alternative housing formation. We ask where the ‘social’ can be located (or how it can be understood) during the creation of a collectivity with an initially ‘alternative’ social ethos that coincides with a traditional housing construction endeavour. What multi-scalar geographies of the home1 sustain or challenge the dual goals of creating a cohesive collective and a shared physical dwelling?”
Self-Build Homes connects the burgeoning interdisciplinary research on self-build with commentary from leading international figures in the self-build and wider housing sector. Through their focus on community, dwelling, home and identity, the chapters explore the various meanings of self-build housing, encouraging new directions for discussions about self-building and calling for the recognition of the social dimensions of this process, from consideration of the structures, policies and practices that shape it, through to the lived experience of individuals and households.
This volume comes at a time of renewed focus from policy managers and practitioners, as well as prospective builders themselves, on self-build as a means for producing homes that are more stylised, affordable and appropriate for the specific needs of households.
Self-Build Homes: Social Discourse, Experiences and Directions
Edited by Michaela Benson and Iqbal Hamiduddin
Free PDF download: https://goo.gl/L31NJd
