Autonomous Housing for “Co-operative Autonomy”

This paper explores the cultural implications of the theoretical and design reflections of North American and European architectural countercultures on the ‘autonomy’ of domestic living, within the context of the energy crises that characterized the second half of the twentieth century. In an attempt to provide a unified framework for the heterogeneous and fragmented literature on the various experimental “Autonomous House” projects, this study aims to uncover the deeper motivations that link the reconfiguration of architectural space according to a logic of ‘self-sufficiency’ with the reimagining of post-industrial models of economic development and social organization. Ultimately, it seeks to evaluate the continuing relevance of these ideas, both historically and in light of today’s renewed awareness of the fragile relationship between the environmental context and the built environment shaped by architecture.