A central part of the Fuggerei social housing complex’s 500th anniversary festival of events that began over the weekend, MVRDV’s newly-opened NEXT500 Pavilion examines the future of the all-important typology through the inclusion of proposed designs which would install inspired versions of the historic complex in different areas of the world.

Inside the uniquely-cantilevered wooden pavilion on the central square in Augsburg, Germany, are three different proposals for a ‘Fuggerei of the Future’ spread through eight individual-themed exhibition spaces. The studio claims they are based on the same number of “building blocks” it developed after writing a “Fuggerei Code” using an internal study of the most effective elements of the iconic housing complex constructed in the early 1520s. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that behind the exhibition is “an admirable sense of citizenship, combined with entrepreneurial foresight,” adding her personal belief it has “proven to be effective to always put the well-being of society above one's own and thus to meet with common strength the historical challenges but also the hardships of everyday life.”

The first speculative proposal is a design for the host city of Augsburg and offers a companion to the original Fuggerei with an enhanced educational focus thought to instill more social mobility for residents in an effort to decrease pronounced wealth gaps in the community. 

The second proposal is intended for a small town in rural Lithuania and aims to address the issue of elderly people living in poverty with a biophilia-centric design. 

Finally, the last Fuggerei focuses on a small fishing village in Sierra Leone with a vague intent of “empowering residents and creating a safe environment for women and children.”

“The lack of affordable housing is something that affects people all over the world,” founding partner Jacob van Rijs said of the importance of his studio’s research-based exhibition, “while in my view it is a basic right.” He added: “Our team at MVRDV researched what kind of Fuggerei different places would need, with a focus on education, the elderly, gender equality, and the empowerment and economic independence of the inhabitants. I am delighted at the massive interest in the celebration of 500 years of Fuggerei, which shows that this is a global issue that needs urgent attention.”