Description
With the Neuwil Housing Estate in Wohlen, the first building of which was erected in 1965, Metron Architects showcased a feature typical of Community Settlements: they designed an inner avenue, often called a rue intérieur, that could be used as a collective circulation area. This provided the slender elongated block building with an amply sized circulation space on every third floor, each of which was joined with the other common areas.[1] On the ground floor, for example, is an inviting, lounge-like entrance hall, created by the inclusion of seating niches, a lavatory, a telephone booth, and a vending machine.[2] A crafts room is adjacent to the entrance hall. On the two floors with corridors, play niches are situated along the inner avenue. A shared living room with fireplace and tea kitchen, a laundry room, and a sun deck with a solarium and shared showers and toilets are located on the top floor.
This corridor design not only enlivened the often lackluster circulation zones but also minimized them, as only every third story had a corridor. Each of the other two floors was reached via short stairwell spurs, making it possible to add this reclaimed circulation space to the collective areas.[3] Additionally, the apartments on the remaining floors were naturally lit throughout the entire day. In the Neuwil Housing Estate, a total of 49 one- to fourroom apartments were available, all of which contained attempts at creating flexible floor plans. Only the installation areas and functional rooms such as kitchen, bathroom, toilet, and entrance area were considered to be set fixtures; the rest of the apartment could be divided as the occupants wished.[4] According to various sources, however, these freely divisible floor plans were not put to good use, and the opportunity to alter the floor plan by shifting the dividing elements was rarely used.[5] Likewise, the collective facilities remained unused, with some even becoming the target of vandalism. An evaluation conducted after five years of operation made it clear that residents lacked a sense of community.[6]
Selected project data
Exterior view of building
The curved parking garage creates an iconic image for the settlement
Entrance hall with telephone and laundry facilities
Private living area
Footnotes
However, only Metron Architects’ first-built and south-facing building was designed with an inner avenue. The later-built second building was conventionally constructed. See also Kurz, Maurer, Oechslin, Weidmann (2003): Metron, Planen und Bauen 1965 –2003, p. 132.
Das Werk (53 | 1966): “Überbauung «Neuwil» in Wohlen AG”, p. 43.
Kurz, Maurer, Oechslin, Weidmann (2003): Metron, Planen und Bauen 1965– 2003, p. 65.
Das Werk (53|1966): “Überbauung «Neuwil» in Wohlen AG”, p. 45.
A brochure titled My Apartment Is My Castle invited residents to participate and select from various design options for their floor plans. For more, see also Pestalozzi (29 Aug. 2016): “Flexibilitätsexperiment im Freiamt”, swiss-architects.ch.
Kurz, Maurer, Oechslin, Weidmann (2003): Metron, Planen und Bauen 1965– 2003, p. 65.
Originally published in: Susanne Schmid, Dietmar Eberle, Margrit Hugentobler (eds.), A History of Collective Living. Forms of Shared Housing, Birkhäuser, 2019. Translation by Word Up!, LLC, edited for Building Types Online.