In 1983 Walter Segal recorded a talk called Learning from the Self Builders. It was recorded by Monica Pidgeon as part of a series of talks for students of architecture. A short clip can be heard here. To listen to more of the recording it is necessary to subscribe to Pigeon Digital or paying £5 for a single listen or £65 to buy the talk outright on CD or DVD. Below are some extracts from that recording.
On the UK's housing situation
The main priority in Britain and in many parts of the world will be housing, to a degree that’s to almost exclude larger stock. Just it will be necessary to give effect to the need of accommodating more and more people, and also to take account of the effect that many of the structures which form our towns and cities are becoming obsolete in terms of structure. On the other hand the replacement is slower and slower, and by the end of the century this may overwhelm the construction industry at exists. Other ways of building and production of housing will have to be found, and it will also be necessary to take into account that the labour force is bound to be very small indeed, and to become more specialised for the purpose of housing, which after all is a very simple technological matter, much more sophisticated tools, our tools we will replace methods that have in a more centralised way been used for centuries. We have to produce more quickly, we have to produce more simply, we have to house people in a very different way,and on the other hand the desires, wishes and needs of a population very much more aware of what they want, and desiring very much more than at any other to take a part in these operations will lead us to a very much changed role as professionals. We have to give up being experts in one particular field, but will have to learn to assist the vast number of those wishing to participate in the provision of dwellings for themselves, we shall have to provide that kind of knowledge which ordinary people cannot acquire quickly.
On the Lewisham self-build scheme (Segal Close)
Friends of mine thought it would be possible to encourage people on their local housing list to try and build such houses within a council scheme. The scheme of 14 houses, which I developed for them was based on the fact that the local authority was going to provide the land. The government was to provide the money for acquiring the building materials, and the self-builders would be providing the labour. We had a very large number of people applying for it, nearly 200, and so the 14 families were selected by ballot. It was stipulated from the beginning that you could enter the scheme without having to have any capital or any other resources, that you were not in any way prevented by age or occupation, that you were to build in your own time, at your own speed, that women were expected to work with their husbands, in other words that this was a scheme produced by family and not a team product. That all the children were encouraged to assist as well, and that families were giving each other mutually that kind of help that was required. By not having anything regimented the amount of mutual help was astonishing, but so was also the ability and comprehension power of these ordinary people that never in their lives would have thought that they could be building houses. It meant from their part considerable amount of courage, a sense of enterprise, and then as I found later the pure enjoyment of doing something with their own hands and seeing results.
On the value of self-build
This whole experience has taught me personally an awful lot about human beings,and has taught me an awful lot about the ability which provided the methods of construction are not over bearing, can be brought to the fore, and where people can discover in themselves all kinds of talents which in their former lives had absolutely no opportunity to use. That in itself is very gratifying because in each form of housing there is the social factor which in this case is determined by those that are building for themselves, those that are living there, those that will be developing as persons. The individual level of articulation has been very great indeed. The imagination of these self-builders was very much aroused with motivation and enthusiasm, and one of them found a way of building two storey houses without any scaffolding.
On the UK's housing situation
The main priority in Britain and in many parts of the world will be housing, to a degree that’s to almost exclude larger stock. Just it will be necessary to give effect to the need of accommodating more and more people, and also to take account of the effect that many of the structures which form our towns and cities are becoming obsolete in terms of structure. On the other hand the replacement is slower and slower, and by the end of the century this may overwhelm the construction industry at exists. Other ways of building and production of housing will have to be found, and it will also be necessary to take into account that the labour force is bound to be very small indeed, and to become more specialised for the purpose of housing, which after all is a very simple technological matter, much more sophisticated tools, our tools we will replace methods that have in a more centralised way been used for centuries. We have to produce more quickly, we have to produce more simply, we have to house people in a very different way,and on the other hand the desires, wishes and needs of a population very much more aware of what they want, and desiring very much more than at any other to take a part in these operations will lead us to a very much changed role as professionals. We have to give up being experts in one particular field, but will have to learn to assist the vast number of those wishing to participate in the provision of dwellings for themselves, we shall have to provide that kind of knowledge which ordinary people cannot acquire quickly.
On the Lewisham self-build scheme (Segal Close)
Friends of mine thought it would be possible to encourage people on their local housing list to try and build such houses within a council scheme. The scheme of 14 houses, which I developed for them was based on the fact that the local authority was going to provide the land. The government was to provide the money for acquiring the building materials, and the self-builders would be providing the labour. We had a very large number of people applying for it, nearly 200, and so the 14 families were selected by ballot. It was stipulated from the beginning that you could enter the scheme without having to have any capital or any other resources, that you were not in any way prevented by age or occupation, that you were to build in your own time, at your own speed, that women were expected to work with their husbands, in other words that this was a scheme produced by family and not a team product. That all the children were encouraged to assist as well, and that families were giving each other mutually that kind of help that was required. By not having anything regimented the amount of mutual help was astonishing, but so was also the ability and comprehension power of these ordinary people that never in their lives would have thought that they could be building houses. It meant from their part considerable amount of courage, a sense of enterprise, and then as I found later the pure enjoyment of doing something with their own hands and seeing results.
On the value of self-build
This whole experience has taught me personally an awful lot about human beings,and has taught me an awful lot about the ability which provided the methods of construction are not over bearing, can be brought to the fore, and where people can discover in themselves all kinds of talents which in their former lives had absolutely no opportunity to use. That in itself is very gratifying because in each form of housing there is the social factor which in this case is determined by those that are building for themselves, those that are living there, those that will be developing as persons. The individual level of articulation has been very great indeed. The imagination of these self-builders was very much aroused with motivation and enthusiasm, and one of them found a way of building two storey houses without any scaffolding.
