Rural housing towards diverse living

Abstract

More people are choosing to move from the metropolitan regions and it's time to question the urban norm. Gävleborg, Jämtland and Värmland have now more people moving to the regions than from, which is the first time that this has happened in 20 years. This thesis is about rural residential architecture and how development of rural housing can be affected by-, and respond to an increasing interest in moving to the countryside. The work examines how an increased move to the countryside can affect and shape space and life inside the home and in the surrounding outdoor areas. Through studies of current reference projects and in-depth interviews with people who want to move to the countryside, a design proposal is presented for a multi-family housing on a plot located in the municipality of Gothenburg, Sweden. Different focus areas have been addressing issues of land ownership, shared space, flexibility, and access to nature among other things. Together with the architectural proposal the project reflects on the need for new types of typologies in the rural settings as well as how different factors in residential architecture can be lifted for further development and challenge leading norms of rural housing.