This project deals with the question of how existing buildings can be transformed when care work is recogni- zed as an integral part of social coexistence in the course of social change. The thesis presents a critical spatial examination of Barbara Zibell‘s vision for the year 2071 from the book “Care-Arbeit räumlich denken” (Thin- king Care Work Spatially). The performance of care work is a fundamental necessity for the preservation of human life and therefore affects all people equally. Currently, however, care work is not understood as a task for the society as a whole, but is performed by each person within the scope of their individual capabilities. Given differences in physical, psychological, financial, and social resources automatically lead to inequalities. The starting point for Barbara Zibell‘s vision is a fundamental change toward an egalitarian society. Care work is at the center of everyone‘s everyday life and is based on shared responsibility. The work examined how Barbara Zibell‘s vision could be manifested spatially. Various scales are examined, whereas the design focus is placed on the micro level in two different areas of investigation. 

These are two study areas in the southern part of Hanover that are representative of very different urban typologies from the 20th century: three point high-rise buildings from the 1970s and a block perimeter neighborhood from the 1920s. The specific choice of these two established neighborhoods reflects an unders- tanding of the existing structures as a valuable resource: ecologically, materially, socially, and culturally. The existing urban structures get to be further developed and upgraded in order to respond to profound social and global changes—demographic change, the increasing pluralization of lifestyles, and climate change. The built environment plays a key role in how care work can be practiced and organized on a fair base. This means that changes in social conditions also have a profound impact on the design of living spaces. In order to meet people‘s diverse needs in terms of social proximity, interaction, and communal living, a fundamental principle of the work at all scales is to design spaces that allow different intensities of community. In this con- text, the kitchen comes into focus as a place where care work is materially, socially, and culturally rooted.

 How can it support the changing society of Vision 2071 with its differentiated requirements for community? The measures proposed in this paper illustrate how targeted interventions within the existing building stock can enable differentiated forms of living and lifestyles. Flexible floor plans and communal infrastructures, such as shared kitchens, open up space for new forms of cohabitation, strengthen social inclusion, and at the same time contribute to resource and space efficiency. Structural improvements to ensure accessibility help to make living space usable across all phases of life and create long-term retention options. The work is intended as a research-based design contribution in which design processes are used as a method to test scenarios and thus reveal new perspectives.