Dutch Complex Housing

Apr. 2019

In the Netherlands, where housing is a right, cities include a unique architectural form - complex housing.  These structures were developed in response to concerns for density, ecology, mixed incomes, mixed housing types, and the urban context. Dutch Complex Housing, curated by University of Minnesota Professor Julia Robinson (American Institute of Architecture Fellow), explores this special form of multi-family dwelling. Can this innovative housing be replicated elsewhere?

Developed by the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design, Dutch Complex Housing is based on Robinson’s book Complex Housing: Designing for Density (2017, Routledge Press). The exhibition explores factors that led to the Dutch approach to housing such as the need for thoughtful planning on land below sea level, a commitment to housing as a right of citizenship, and the acceptance of multi-family housing due to the population density of the Netherlands. Dutch Complex Housing presents this content in four parts:

· An introduction to housing in the Netherlands

· An introduction to typological methodology used to study housing

· The eight case studies

· Principles that generate this type of housing.

The conclusion presents design principles embodied in this housing form and the implications for replicating it elsewhere.