Abstract:
Co-housing refers to a type of collaborative housing in which residents are involved in determining their living conditions, starting from the design process to the development of communal areas, in order to create a good neighborhood. This concept originated in Denmark and later spread to several other countries. In Thailand, the Ten Bangkok Project, also influenced by the idea of co-housing, has been co-constructed and shared by a small group of eight families made up of architects and friends. The residents said they reflected the middle class with varying lifestyles, housing needs, and financial status. Despite such dissimilarities, the successful completion of the project interests many public and private organizations. This study aims to examine the concept and operation process of the Ten Bangkok Project. A literature review was conducted on documents related to co-housing laws and regulations. The data were then collected through surveys and interviews with three groups of subjects: 1) the residents, 2) representatives from other organizations developing a similar project, and 3) housing academics/ experts. The research results indicate various problems and limitations such as a change in the number of residents, declined credit, limitations in terms of laws, permission for construction, and the legal process of transferring the rights of ownership to the residents. Another significant problem was the residents often chose to take responsibility for the construction themselves. Overall, it can be concluded that despite lacking a real estate background, the project management team was creative as well as had the determination to use its community development experience. Also, legal organizations and financial institutions did not understand the concept of co-housing development. Nevertheless, the findings reveal two important aspects about co-housing that can be used as guidelines for developing other projects as follows. First, the design process can serve as an activity to create collaboration among residents. Second, the application of knowledge of community development and architectural design in the construction of residences should take the interdependence of lifestyles into consideration as well as help the personnel and families involved in the process to develop their lives creatively.