The design workshop is a central part of the academic module and constitutes an opportunity for students to get acquainted with several aspects of students from designers to users during the workshop. This year, the main objective was to bring a turning the single family module of the competition into a prototype for collective, multistorey, adaptable housing. The paper's aim is dual: on the one hand it illustrates the background, development and results of the workshops held during the Master. Particular attention was paid to the learning process and the broader influence it has on the students' view of collective housing. On the other hand, it will describe the impact of this approach on the current development of the SDE 2012 prototype.