Description

The Röntgenareal development has the task of mediating between a compact residential area with block edge development and an open area with railway lines next to the train station. Nine identical residential cubes are distributed across the lot in an alternating pattern of cube/open space. This ensures a clear view of the railway yard. The cubes are turned away from the street and face toward the best vista and optimal insolation. This rotation is continued in the form of the wraparound balconies.

Semi-public open zones have been created between the cubes, with different ground treatment to identify the specific areas and their uses: from gravel to macadam, from public courtyards to private gardens. The architects developed multiple potential apartment floor plans. However, execution was handed over to the contractor, who realized the individual buildings in the complex with conventional floor plans. The original design envisioned a naturally-lit access with a common area.

The architects’ floor plan catalog constitutes a declension of different options of more or less usage-neutral floor plans. From an undefined floor plan (a single large living and working space) to a floor plan where the position of the kitchen block (or row) divides the living area, to a plan where the clean, large living room space serves as distribution zone, onto which all other rooms open. All internal dividing walls would have been non-load-bearing to allow for further modification. The balcony wrapping around the entire apartment extends private living outside onto the colorful exterior. It makes a show of habitation. The design is fascinating by virtue of the openness throughout, both spatially and functionally.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fourth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2011.