The Application of BIM as Collaborative Design Technology for Collective Self-Organised Housing

1.1. The State of the Art of CSO in Europe

This paper refers to the ongoing EU Framework 7 project PROFICIENT, that deals the development and validation of new processes and business models for the next generation of performance based energy-efficient buildings, which will create business opportunities for SMEs in the construction sector by exploiting the emerging process of Collective Self-Organised (CSO) housing for the constructing and retrofitting of energy-efficient residential districts. The project addresses the emerging and rapidly increasing trend in Europe of CSO housing.

In a CSO housing process a group of homeowners purchases a piece of land or existing properties; procure professional companies for design, construction and maintenance, and directly manage the project from planning until delivery and use. CSO Housing is a growing market. Recently launched policies and action plans by governments in a number of EU countries indicate a doubling of the current market over the next decade. The demonstration and experimental phase of CSO housing development has proven the value of this concept. For instance, in the Netherlands, in the past 10 years, successful pilot projects in various municipalities across the country have been carried out under the SEV subsidy and supervision programme (SEV, 2010). The UK government claims that “self-build homes are often cheaper, greener, more affordable and more innovatively designed than standard market housing” (DCLG, 2104), and plans for an extra 25,000 self-built homes each year.