KOSTER
Big Title
A THESIS ABOUT REPURPOSING UNDERUSED CHURCHES TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS
TEAM - ROLE
Luisa Koster - Design Management
DURATION
March – June 2024
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CONTEXT
Participatory Design for Community-Driven Church Reuse
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CLIENT
HSLU Design Film Kunst
VISIT THE WERKSCHAU
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TOOLS
Miro, InDesign, Canva
ABSTRACT
Many church buildings remain underused due to declining religious participation. This project explores how neighborhood residents can actively shape church reuse through participatory design. Research revealed that lack of community involvement leads to ineffective reuse, while structured participation fosters sustainable urban development. As a solution, CommunityKIT—a co-design tool—was developed to facilitate structured decision-making between churches and communities.
PROCESS
Situation:
Declining church attendance leaves many buildings underused. The challenge is to turn these spaces into community assets through participatory design rather than top-down decisions.
Decisions:
• Focus on co-design methods to shift decision-making power from institutions to local residents.
• Develop a practical tool (CommunityKIT) to structure participation, making collaboration easier for non-experts.
My Role:
• Conducted stakeholder mapping to identify power imbalances between churches and residents.
• Translated research insights into design principles for inclusive participation.
• Prototyped and iterated the CommunityKIT tool through scenario testing.
Learnings:
• Participation often fails because it stays at a feedback level; structured co-design can move communities from “reacting” to actively shaping decisions.
• Balancing power requires simple, accessible tools: too much complexity discourages engagement.
• Long-term adoption depends on institutions committing to continuous facilitation, not one-off workshops.
RESEARCH
Methods:
• Literature review • 6 in-depth expert interviews, 2 community surveys, observational studies of existing reuse projects.
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Churches lack expertise in participatory planning, leading to top-down decisions.
Residents value churches as community hubs, even when non-religious.
Participation is often tokenistic, limiting residents to feedback rather than decision-making.
Successful reuse projects focus on local needs, transparency, and ongoing collaboration.
CONCEPT
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CommunityKIT – A Co-Design Tool
Provides guiding questions, mapping exercises, and scenario planning cards to help residents and church leaders co-create reuse ideas.
Structures participation in three phases: Preparation, Co-Design, Decision & Implementation.
Designed to be flexible, visual, and easy to use by non-designers, encouraging active involvement rather than passive feedback.
OUTCOME
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CommunityKIT structures participation so that churches and residents can co-create realistic reuse solutions. It ensures transparent decision-making and fosters a sense of ownership among residents. Scenario testing shows that the tool helps move discussions beyond opinions toward concrete, shared decisions. However, long-term success depends on whether churches continue to facilitate participation after the initial workshops.
EFFECT
For residents:
Strengthens social ties and gives them a real voice in shaping their neighborhoods, fostering a stronger sense of belonging.
For churches:
Builds trust and ensures that reuse projects respond to actual community needs, increasing acceptance and long-term sustainability.
For urban development:
Encourages adaptive reuse instead of new construction, reducing waste and preserving cultural heritage through community-driven solutions.
Open Question:
How can participatory tools maintain influence over time when institutional priorities or community engagement naturally decline?
