Living with the surrounding conditions - Towards a more sustainable way of dwelling in an urban context

Abstract: Historically, inhabitants have always altered their domestic spaces to adapt to different environmental conditions and to meet personal needs. Especially in rural dwellings, lowtech but very effective and simple ways of adaptations have been and are still in use. These methods stand more than ever diametral to the way we dwell and use our domestic spaces today. All the building ele- ments are getting more complex and need to fulfil several different functions, without any conscious (human) action. The climate is automatically regulated by air conditioning systems, automatic heating and highly efficient windows that provide a view separated from other external climate aspects and weather phenomenas. With the complexity come also more costs, both monetary and environmentally. In the course of the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis in Europe, a vivid discussion about heating and temperature in buildings has taken place. This thesis project investigates how domestic space can be built and used in correlation to the environment. Through theoretical explorations of climate and comfort aspects as well as a comparison of key references from architectural history, the topic of living with the surrounding conditions is ap- proached from different perspectives. Informed by the research, a new typolo- gy of dwelling is established, with different climate zones that directly relate to weather, activity, comfort and user demands. While the principal focus lies on a seasonal living, the flexibility of the created system allows a reconfiguration of space over a lifetime. To implement and test the typology in a physical envi- ronment, a case study in Malmö is performed. The project is situated in Norra Sorgenfri in Malmö, one of the latest development areas creating new living quarters on a former industrial site.