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Klaudia Szwagiel - "Design of a modular housing unit in terms of sustainability and social crises"

Ola Skorupa
13 of March '26
Technical data
Type: master's thesis
Year of defense: 2025
Name: "DESIGN OF MODULAR HOUSING UNIT IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL CRISES".
Author:

Klaudia Szwagiel

University:
Faculty of Interior Design and Scenography of the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw.

Promoters:

dr Tomasz Chołuj
dr Magdalena Kasprzyca

Work submitted for the competition
"Best Interior Diploma".

The project "Modular Housing Unit in terms of sustainable development and social crises" was created as a response to the dynamic changes in civilization, society and climate. Its goal was to create a compact, mobile housing system that combines aesthetic qualities with functionality and responds to contemporary humanitarian and urban challenges.

© Klaudia Szwagiel

The unit was designed based on the idea of modularity and multifunctionality. Each module can serve as both a permanent home and a temporary shelter in emergency situations (migration, natural disasters, homelessness). The design is based on prefabricated elements that can be easily transported, combined into different urban layouts and adapted to the changing needs of residents.

© Klaudia Szwagiel

The main idea behind the design is flexibility, both at the scale of a single user (the possibility of cross-unit expansion) and of entire residential complexes. Modules can create micro-communities with common spaces gardens, integration zones - fostering interpersonal bonds. Additional elements such as rainwater harvesting systems, photovoltaic panels, integrated smart-home solutions and recycled materials support the idea of sustainability.

© Klaudia Szwagiel

The design also touches on psychological aspects takes into account the needs of those affected, such as the need for security, control, privacy or contact with nature. Lighting, colors, shapes of furniture and modules are designed to support the psychological well-being of the user. The space adapts to the lifestyle can serve a single, a family, an elderly person or a refugee.

The unit is an alternative to costly and time-consuming housing developments. It can be used in urban, post-industrial and recreational spaces, as well as independent living facilities in different geographic conditions. Its compact, modern form, with rounded corners, not only improves ventilation and daylight access, but also softens the perception of the space for people under stress.

© Klaudia Szwagiel

The project is a reflection on how architecture can actively respond to social and environmental crises. It attempts to combine the ideas of functionalism with humanism, technology with human concern, flexibility with dignity. In a time of economic and political instability, it is a manifestation of a new approach to housing: accessible, mobile and empathetic.

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Illustrations: © Author .

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