In our modern times, people’s daily needs and affairs are largely arranged by goods and services provided through institutional and market mechanisms. This thesis looks at alternative services bypassing institutional and monetary mechanisms: the type of services where people work with and for each other. Two service cases investigated: a self-repair bicycle workshop run by a subcultural community and a series of design interventions called ‘Plant Hotel’ where people help water other’s plants as a form of collaborative care.


"This is design research at its best, testing and pushing the boundaries: working on topics like service, relevant to design; always doing good research, and always from an unusual angle. This is one of the best design research pieces I’ve seen in recent years."
– Ilpo Koskinen, Professor from Hong Kong Polytechnic University