BACK TO SCHOOL WITH… ANDREA PRINS #2
Session #2 - THE MEANING OF SOCIAL
The first in a series of three evenings about social housing, with Andrea Prins and Bernd Vlay. Taking place on 18 February, 19:00 - 21:00. Doors open and dinner served at 18:00. Get your tickets here
A package for all three evenings is available for 45 euro. Tickets for the separate events cost 17,50 euro. The tickets include a simple dinner.
Affordable homes for all? Social Housing between crisis and creativity
After being ignored for a long time, the lack of affordable, social housing in the Netherlands has become ubiquitous. In the current debate, most of the attention is focused on numbers: too few homes are being built compared to what should be needed. High construction costs are used as an argument to make social housing seem like an unprofitable investment. Moreover, there is a maze of rules that people must navigate to qualify for social housing. This narrowing perspective on numbers and regulations, overlooks something important: the resident and the experience of habitation itself. As a result, many (young) people do not even consider living in a social project. Not only is social housing discouragingly scarce, it also suffers from a negative image. In this series we discuss these issues from different perspectives. What do decent spatial floor plans look like? What do decent spatial floor plans look like? What could, and should, the term “social” encompass? And why do we know so little about alternatives to home ownership?
The meaning of social
On this second evening in the series, we will focus on the meaning of social. In the Netherlands, social housing is now primarily reserved for the poor or those in trouble - a scarce resource, burdened with stigma and prejudice against its residents. But what if "social" didn’t just mean help for individuals in need, but instead reflected a broader societal responsibility? This isn’t just wordplay; it’s a fundamental shift in perspective. Rather than viewing housing as a personal issue, it becomes a collective, socio-political priority.
Together with the Austrians architect Bernd Vlay we will look at examples from Vienna and/or Graz (Austria), where social housing is available for everyone who wants to pay a fair rent for a moderate home, making social housing a basic facility for all.
About the speakers
Bernd Vlay
Bernd Vlay is an Austrian architect and co-founder of StudioVlayStreeruwitz. In his work, he combines conceptual imagination with the challenges of everyday construction. The office works between urbanism, research and architecture. Whether approaching interior design or large scale urban planning – he explores each single task as a universe of possibilities, believing in the capacity to transform existing conditions to the better.
Andrea Prins
Andrea Prins is an independent Rotterdam-based researcher, essayist and academic lecturer. She investigates and writes about spatiality and the impact of spatial decisions made explicitly or implicitly by politicians, economists and planners on people’s life. Before starting her independent practice, Andrea worked as an architect, architectural historian, and business manager in the Netherlands and Germany. In 2021 she published her book Wonen, rooted in embodied field research and critical analysis of floor plan typologies.
Programme 18 February 2025
18:00 - 19:00 Doors open and dinner served
19:00 – 19:20 Introduction by Andrea Prins
19:20 – 20:15 Presentation by Bernd Vlay on social housing in Austria + Q&A
20:15 – 20:35 Presentation by second speaker (tbc)
20:35 – 21:00 Conversation with speakers and audience
21:00 Drinks at the bar
Back to School with... is a lecture series for which the School invites a professional guest to curate a lecture programme around one topic or question that has their urgent and great interest at this moment and to bring together different speakers to elaborate on the subject in three consecutive evening events. This event is the 1st in a series about social housing, curated by Andrea Prins. More info here