Description

The compact housing development in a suburb of Oslo is both a combination of and a variation on row-house typologies. Here, the row houses are arranged in an unusual manner around a triangular communal courtyard at the center, which is often reserved for privacy in other row-­house developments. The courtyard is bordered on one side by a series of rather conventional row houses and by a row of staggered patio houses on the other. A tall wall forms the third boundary of the courtyard garden, which is located above the underground garage and toward which nearly all patios are facing.

Due to the staggered layout of the patio houses, the individual units are oriented simultaneously to the west and to the south and benefit from three open spaces: the west-facing front garden at ground level, the two-story patio as the middle of the house and the large walled-in terrace to the south, which also marks the entrance. The directional shift from south to west is subtly reprised in the interior: the WC and wardrobe block and the patio indicate the way into the house and divide the interior into areas: the dining area with a view onto the patio, half-hidden behind it the kitchen and the internal corridor to the living area.

Next, the floor plan turns in the other direction and the internal path leads either down the stairs or toward the living room overlooking the garden. On the lower level, the individual bedrooms are arranged in series, one behind the other, and overlook either the garden or the patio. The corridor, which reaches across the entire house and is bordered by built-in cabinets, connects with a second entrance, which leads directly to the garage.

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