Reed and Reciprocity : Collective student housing for the Arts Campus

How can collective student housing be designed to create a socially cohesive and creative academic community? In what ways can vernacular materials like sea reed thatch be reintroduced into contemporary architecture? This project explores how architecture can support both ecological stewardship and social cohesion through an alternative urban vision for the island of Ön in Umeå, Sweden. The proposal introduces a collective student housing typology specifically for the Umeå Arts Campus community. Key elements include communal kitchens, workshops, and sanitary spaces that encourage informal exchange and mutual support among residents. The project is also a material investigation into sea reed thatch, a historically vernacular and ecologically regenerative material. Here, sea reed is proposed not as a nostalgic reference but as a high-performance, contemporary material suitable for larger scale buildings. By integrating it into a modern architectural system, the project challenges prevailing material hierarchies and expands the possibilities for sustainable construction. The building’s form responds to an existing industrial foundation on the site. The use of sea reed is intended to raise questions around what materials are considered viable for urban development. Through research into material reuse, vernacular techniques, and community-based housing models, this thesis positions architecture as a catalyst for redefining progress, not as efficiency alone, but as reciprocity between people, place, and resources.