Value-based development of Danish public housing

Public housing in Denmark is facing major physical, economic and social challenges that need to be resolved in order to secure the Danish housing stock. The cost of refurbishing and transforming the public housing sector – approximately 20 percent of the Danish housing stock – is estimated to cost DKK 169.2 billion.
Public housing is an important part of our cultural and architectural history that originated with the creation of our welfare society. This is a narrative we ought to preserve for posterity. Developing public housing is consequently an important task for society in terms of extent, economy and preservation. A task which has created an acute demand for concrete tools for managing public housing building-cultural heritage in the context of future renovation and transformation projects.
The aim of the PhD project is to carry out a holistic, systematic study of the conditions for implementing, in practice, the necessary development and refurbishment of public housing. What are the key features of public housing heritage; how is this heritage challenged by current wishes for development and transformation; within which legislative and administrative framework can it be implemented; and how is building heritage managed in this field of tension?
The PhD project is part of a mapping project, carried out in cooperation with The Danish Agency for Culture, Landsbyggefonden, and the Aarhus School of Architecture. The project systematically reviews and assesses the value of Danish public housing built from 1910-1970.
The industrial PhD project is located with JJW Architects and is anchored in studies of the company’s current work within renovation and transformation.