In Eastern Germany and Eastern Europe, thousands of prefabricated housing blocks are being demolished because the apartments are unpopular and often stand empty – and are replaced by single-family homes.
The single-family house remains the most popular form of housing in Europe. However, in the face of the climate crisis, housing shortages, and increasingly diverse lifestyles, this form of housing is coming under growing criticism.
The project Einfamilienhaus-Haus proposes a new typology that lies somewhere between the apartment block and the single-family house. How can the dream of a single-family home be reconciled with a sustainable future? The existing blocks are to be transformed so that each unit offers the qualities of a single-family house.
The most popular form of housing – the single-family house – may yet have a future in an ecological world.
The visualization shows the building after the transformation is complete.
The following photos show the current state of the site in January 2026, before the transformation has begun
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The building will be completely gutted, and the materials will be collected and recycled.
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The following photos show some residential units before and during the gutting process.
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The individual panels of the prefabricated building are being dismantled and crushed. The building's offsets are already clearly visible.
