Stuttgarter Wohnungs- und Städtebaugesellschaft mbH (SWSG) and NOKERA AG have realised an innovative concept for the rapid provision of affordable housing in urban contexts with the SWSG_EQ12. The first units of this project are completed or close to handover. This joint development has already led to further project enquiries, underscoring the potential of combining housing industry expertise with industrial manufacturing competence.
The SWSG_EQ12 represents a new approach to densifying existing neighbourhoods. The model is based on serial production using a timber-hybrid construction method and is designed to quickly create additional, publicly funded housing. On a footprint of twelve by twelve metres, six residential units are created per building. The first realised constructions effectively visualise the jointly developed concept.
Samir M. Sidgi, Managing Director of SWSG, commented on the cooperation, emphasising that the EQ12 demonstrates the possibilities when housing associations and industrial partners pool their knowledge and utilise synergies. This combination has resulted in an urban module that is both economical and efficient, as well as socially effective. The innovative element lies not only in the building itself, but particularly in the method of its development.
SWSG contributed its expertise in neighbourhood development, the provision of social housing, and site-specific planning. NOKERA supplemented this with specialist knowledge in industrial prefabrication, standardised processes, and serial timber construction. The result is a product that integrates economic, ecological, and social requirements.
Dr. Ulrich Schwenken, CEO of NOKERA, confirmed that serial production and individuality do not have to be mutually exclusive. The EQ12 demonstrates that joint solutions between the housing industry and industry are possible, which neither side could have realised alone. The fact that further partners and projects have already been won for this concept based on this pioneering work confirms the need for scalable solutions for affordable housing.
The EQ12 illustrates the reinforcement of synergy effects: planning and construction processes become more efficient, costs more calculable, construction times shorter, and quality more scalable. Furthermore, a building type is created that can be transferred to various locations, thus opening up prospects for future municipal housing construction. With the EQ12 urban module, SWSG and NOKERA are setting an example for future-oriented housing construction that is developed collaboratively, conceived serially, and geared towards the real challenges of growing cities.
