Does Germany Have the Answer to Affordable Living?

Berliners are facing many of the same challenges as Angelenos in terms of affordable living space, as well as coming to grips with changing family structure; but, they have come up with an intriguing solution. Baugruppen, meaning building groups, are cohousing communities where you choose who you want to live alongside and then split the costs of development.

We visited a Baugruppe complex in Berlin called R50 designed by architecture firms Heide & Von Beckerath and IFAU. Co-principals Christoph Schmidt and Verena von Beckerath explained the process of designing and building collaboratively -- for 19 households.

DnA also spoke with art and design writer Andreas Toelke about the origins of Baugruppen in Berlin and discussed the model’s feasibility in Los Angeles with architects Ric Abramson and Rick Corsini -- with reference to Gregory Ain’s classic Avenel Cooperative Housing.