Developing Proposals for the Future of Housing

Implementing AI in architectural “ design ,” intergenerational housing, mobile homes, and co-living arrangements for single parents are some of the trends that were analyzed during the collaborative workshop organized by the Interuniversity Housing Forum at partnership in partnership with Nasuvinsa, Fundación Emplea, the University of Navarra, the UPNA, and the UNED.

Students from designsubject 's Trends program, students from the subject 's architecture projects program, and a group from the School of Science 's School of Economics and Business at the University of Navarra, who became “detectives of the future” for a day to identify trends and design solutions to the housing crisis.

Javier Antón, a professor at the Degree at design and organizer of the event, explains that“when we think about housing, we focus on the technical aspects and forget about the social changes behind them.” “Working from different perspectives allows us to think systematically about the future and make decisions so that the way we want to live can become a reality.” Furthermore, having participants from different disciplines and generations is essential for identifying “which trends are emerging in housing,” adds Lourdes Rodríguez, an international strategic consultant in foresight and professor of the “ subject ” on trends at the center.

New Ways of Living

After analyzing international news and categorizing it into trends or signs of change, the students concluded that the new housing context “calls for experiences, rather than a specific place to live.” Based on this analysis, the students presented group hypotheses, among which recurring patterns included “co-living” and flexible, mobile housing that can be adapted to new family models.

The participants explained that co-living opportunities provide “more affordable access to housing” and could help Nasuvinsa reduce bureaucracy. The groups argued that, due to globalization and nomadic lifestyles, younger people tend to live in communities with people outside their immediate families. Older adults, on the other hand, prefer to live surrounded by green spaces, maintain good mental health, and reduce loneliness. These trends make it possible to “monetize space staff” in exchange for compromising on privacy at home.

Participants in the workshop included Victor Sánchez Salmerón, professor of sociology at the UPNA; Javier Burón, Director ;General Manager from Nasuvinsa; Berta Úriz, director of the department for housing; and José Vidal, architect and manager for cooperative housing projects at Nasuvinsa. Representing the University of Navarra were Israel Nagore and Diego Ruiz Bernacci, researchers and architects; Asier Santas, professor of the subject de Proyectos and director of the accredited specialization Urbana de Arquitectura; and Javier Antón and Lourdes Rodríguez, professors at design.

After hearing the proposals, architect José Vidal said that this opportunity “allows us to draw on the insights of the academic community and restore a sense of belonging and community.”

Answers from Science

Approaching housing from an interdisciplinary perspective allows students to “propose new housing solutions to transform the traditional architectural response and adapt it to today’s society.” “Our goal is to prepare future architects to build not just houses, but homes designed with people’s needs in mind, ”explains Professor Asier Santas.

Victor Sánchez Salmerón, a sociologist and professor at UPNA, points out that we must address society’s problems through science. “Housing is our relational space; it is the space through which we access the world. Society, family models, and people’s life trajectories have changed, and this initiative financial aid helps students understand that solving these problems requires bringing together different disciplines.”

Following this first meeting, the students in Trends’ “ subject ” will continue working on the proposals and trends that emerged from the workshop until they develop a report of trends that incorporates the global status and emerging changes in the housing sector—a research that they will later share with Fundación Emplea and Nasuvinsa.