Description

The subsidized housing program called upon the architects to manage with a significant reduction in funds – a topic that was treated as the defining design theme: limitation to two room sizes (single/double), two apartment sizes, two window sizes, etc. The rigidity of this repetition invests the slab with a presence on the outside, which is intended to promote an urban restructuring of the sprawling suburb.

The floor plans are characterized by a pronounced simplicity. They are divided lengthwise in two: one row of living and bedrooms runs parallel to a sequence of service rooms. A small hallway provides access to the living room, and also, in a straight line to the galley kitchen, which leads to another hallway to bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. The second hallway is large enough to accommodate a dining area or to be used for other purposes.

The division of the floor plan in two is also visible on the facade. On the street elevation, the latter is perforated with small, square windows, which light the service zone, while the brick facade overlooking the garden is structured with window ribbons running the length of the building. These ribbons consist of an equal number of opaque and transparent areas; it is interesting to note that in this case it is the timber elements that are the movable components.

The basement houses storage areas, as well as a common room in the above-ground area of the concrete plinth fronted by a terrace. This floor plan model was applied to a variety of building projects in the community, with strong variations in the length and height of the slab.

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