Rare yet relevant: Trondheim Cooperative Housing Association

The paper explores the history of the housing cooperative Trondhjems Kooperative Boligselskap (TKB) [The Trondheim Cooperative Housing Association] in relation to societal and political currents in contemporary Norway. The article also discusses how the neighbourhood and its architectural layout were adapted to changing uses over a 100-year period. Established in 1922, the TKB is the second-oldest housing cooperative in Norway. An important distinction from similar cooperatives was its construction process, where members of the construction workers’ union built their own homes and set up a production unit to continue developing new projects. Two related movements contributed to the TKBB’s foundation: Firstly, the work of the Norwegian Association of Housing Reforms, and the Own Homes movement, both inspired by the Ebenezer Howard Garden City concept. Secondly, the labour movement, which initiated the construction of the TKB. The main actor behind the housing association was the Norwegian architect and planner, Sverre Pedersen. Consisting of 86 units in 11 duplexes and 16 quadruplexes, the timber houses are organized with small gardens and within larger green communal spaces. The article elaborates on how elements from the TKB’s organizational and architectural principles are relevant to developing social housing in Norway today.