Description

After a long planning period starting in 1965, St. Peter terrace housing estate in Graz was built from 1972 to 1978 as an ensemble of buildings that can be classified as one large housing complex. In addition to a shared underground parking garage, characteristic features include: pedestrian access to the complex, a functional mix, structural density, an immediately discernible form and geometry, and a clear demarcation from the surroundings. Various studies show that this stepped terraced housing estate has a high level of resident satisfaction to this day. It can be assumed that this is a sign of distinctive architectural and urban design qualities. But what exactly are these qualities? It is worth taking a closer look at the history of the development and the design of the housing estate. The building complex was designed by the architects Hermann Pichler, Eugen Gross, Friedrich Gross-Rannsbach, and Werner Hollomey, who joined forces in 1959 under the name Werkgruppe Graz. The international turn away from urban functionalism and the emergence of the architectural theory trend of structuralism that began at that time was influential for Werkgruppe Graz’s style. This included the principle of separating primary structures, which functioned as a framework, from secondary structures, which could be exchanged as required. The design is understood as a changeable, expandable, open, and multi-functional system instead of a monofunctional, segregated one. The Graz-St. Peter estate borrows from this structuralist thinking, for instance by integrating “expansion modules” into the building structure.[1] The concept of the settlement was intended to encourage a socially connected mode of living and communication and to stimulate public life through various facilities.

In the 1960s, the building site was located on what were the outskirts of Graz. While the surrounding area was characterized by single and multifamily housing, one site remained undeveloped for a considerable time. It was the site of a former clay pit that had been filled with rubble and waste after the Second World War, making the ground unable to bear any weight. Thus, a deep foundation of concrete piles was required, onto which a structural grid of 7 by 7 m reinforced concrete was laid. This grid formed the basis for the underground car park of the terraced housing estate. Four apartment buildings up to 11 stories high were erected above this. These structures were offset, with terraced bases and apartments on the upper floors. By staggering the buildings in relation to each other and alternating the height of the buildings, not only optimal lighting and views were achieved for all apartments in the development, but pedestrian connections were also created from the surrounding green space into the interior of the development. The car-free open spaces between the buildings above the underground car park were designed as small green spaces that can be accessed, connected, and landscaped in many different ways. A great deal of attention was given to the landscaping of the complex. Not only the open space above the car park was to receive planting, but also the facade. The creation of such green spaces was made possible by (roof) terraces and balconies, which were furnished with concrete planters. These were arranged in such a way as to shield the terrace below from view. In the estate, there are more than 500 units, comprising one to four-room apartments of different typologies: maisonette, terrace or studio apartments and spacious outdoor spaces form the overall ensemble. The result is a verdant settlement, in which almost every apartment has its own private outdoor space in the form of a terrace, balcony or roof terrace. The concept of the “stacked single-family house” served as inspiration for the design of the complex. Above the terraced base of each building is a communicative public level that counterbalances the vertical access of the staircases with a horizontal connection, intended to encourage neighborly relationships through informal contact. The apartments had individually selectable facade elements, resulting in the heterogeneous and varied facade play of the estate today. Future residents of the housing estate were involved in the planning of their apartments and the facade design during the construction phase. A prerequisite for this was the cross wall construction system, which allowed for individualized floor plan designs. On the communal floor, apartment modules were left open, with neither facades nor interior fittings, so that residents could appropriate the spaces later on. Today, the functional mix is increasingly achieved by working and living, as well as by the community rooms of the Graz-St. Peter Housing Estate Interest Group.

In a survey of residents in 2018, the aim of which was to develop modernization guidelines for the next forty years, not only was the high level of resident satisfaction evident, but above all the quality of the inner courtyard areas as communal space was highlighted. Appropriation of and identification with the housing estate were also achieved through the high degree of individuality of the apartments and possibilities for redesign.

The continuing high level of commitment to the housing estate by the community interest group is also due to the residential structure. The apartments are all freehold apartments and to a large extent also occupied by the owners. Today, a growing interest in 1960s and 1970s Brutalist buildings is opening up new perspectives on the building structures of this period.[2] At the same time, it must be stated that the (energetic) refurbishment of the buildings of the 1960s and 1970s is quite problematic.[3]
The qualities of the housing estate, as with many large housing complexes of this era, are founded in the clear form of the complex. The stepped terrace housing estate distinguishes itself clearly from other buildings in the surrounding area while the positioning of the buildings also opens up to the neighborhood. The dense and heterogeneously designed exterior spaces invite residents to linger, while the flowing series of spaces arouses curiosity to discover the complex. Access to the estate is clearly defined by the buildings and is structured by the green edges of the buildings. This creates a variety of spatial experiences, while the clear delineation aids orientation. In terms of access, stairwell shafts with only three apartments per floor encourage neighborly interaction. The density found on the ground floor zones gives way to spatial expanse and views in the upper parts of the building. The varied apartment floor plans promote a heterogeneous structure and flexibility. A communal floor on the fourth level opens up to a “public” space that facilitates orientation in the complex. A progression from public to private emerges: from public street space, to semi-public outdoor spaces and staircases, and finally to each apartment entrance. This overlapping of public and semi- public and then to private creates individual spaces for appropriation and communication within the community. Even though the settlement is characterized by a high degree of semi-public space, the spaces between the buildings have an urban feel and are characterized by a complexity and diversity that provides places for encounters, neighborhoods as well as retreat.

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Originally published in: Gerhard Steixner, Maria Welzig (eds.), Luxury for All. Milestones in European Stepped Terrace Housing, Birkhäuser, 2020. Translated by Anna Roos, abridged and edited for Building Types Online.