Mass Support: Building Frameworks of the Stichting Architecten Research

Between 1964 and 1990, the Stichting Architecten Research (Foundation for Architectural Research, or SAR) led by John Habraken—the first dean of the TU/e’s Department of the Built Environment proposed a radical new way of thinking about mass housing. The SAR sought to define and decouple two key components of buildings: supports and infill. Provided with a solid, industrially produced housing construction, individual residents would have the freedom to build, shape and adapt their own dwellings within this structure.

For over 25 years, the SAR advocated for this vision through a variety of means: SAR members published articles, entered design competitions, taught at architecture schools, and delivered speeches and in-office presentations. In the 1960s Netherlands these ideas resonated with a society facing a serious housing crisis that demanded large-scale, rational, and industrial solutions. In the 1970s and early ‘80s, SAR’s vision converged with a desire to democratize housing and offer opportunities for participation. This exhibition surveys SAR’s work and positions it within today’s context.