The Brunnmatt housing estate, completed in 1970, spreads out on a generous lawn and stretches seven stories into the air. The orange eternit façade makes the residential buildings in the neighbourhood clearly recognizable. Some residential buildings have already been renovated and look more well-kept. The residential complex at Brunnmattstrasse 22 has hardly changed since it was built fifty years ago. A closer look reveals that the building structure seems extremely inflexible and rigid, and the development of the residents is hardly noticeable. The façade says nothing about the people who live behind it. Only the orange eternit façade from the 1970s, soiled by the weather, is recognizable. The few terraces available to the residents are hidden inside the building by a brutal concrete parapet. If you want to sit outside, you are trapped between an orange eternit façade and concrete elements. There is little sense of lightness, freshness and flexibility.
These considerations form the starting point for my design. Now another spatial layer is to be added to the existing building, which the residents can freely use. This space layer fits in with the façade and leads to a rethinking of the boundaries between inside and outside. The residents are to be provided with the opportunity to design the space according to their wishes. It creates additional space in that the outdoor space has a winter garden, as well as an open terrace. By playing on and appropriating the private outdoor spaces, the rigid and monotonous façade thus disappears and is replaced by a living layer. Extending the living space to the outside can also help to promote interaction between the residents. To meet the demand for flexibility in the interior as well, flexible built-in furniture is used in the interior. Furthermore, the walls are partially replaced by sliding elements that allow rooms to be reduced or enlarged. The furniture can adapt to the different needs of the residents. Examples of such transformations would be the cupboard that can be turned into a work desk or the mattress that hides in the wall for guests who spontaneously stay overnight after all. Until now, the flats had no centrepiece, as all the rooms were separate from each other and stood on their own. This is now being changed, with the kitchen and living room together forming one space that stretches from north to south. This provides the residents with opportunities for development and appropriation. The flexible and open plan of the flat allows the residents to adapt the flat to their needs. One is no longer dependent on the given, but can help shape one’s surroundings. Not only through decorative means, but also through architectural measures.
The Brunnmatt housing estate, completed in 1970, spreads out on a generous lawn and stretches seven stories into the air.
The orange eternit façade makes the residential buildings in the neighbourhood clearly recognizable. Some residential buildings have already been renovated and look more well-kept. The residential complex at Brunnmattstrasse 22 has hardly changed since it was built fifty years ago.
A closer look reveals that the building structure seems extremely inflexible and rigid, and the development of the residents is hardly noticeable. The façade says nothing about the people who live behind it. Only the orange eternit façade from the 1970s, soiled by the weather, is recognizable. The few terraces available to the residents are hidden inside the building by a brutal concrete parapet. If you want to sit outside, you are trapped between an orange eternit façade and concrete elements. There is little sense of lightness, freshness and flexibility.
These considerations form the starting point for my design. Now another spatial layer is to be added to the existing building, which the residents can freely use. This space layer fits in with the façade and leads to a rethinking of the boundaries between inside and outside. The residents are to be provided with the opportunity to design the space according to their wishes. It creates additional space in that the outdoor space has a winter garden, as well as an open terrace. By playing on and appropriating the private outdoor spaces, the rigid and monotonous façade thus disappears and is replaced by a living layer. Extending the living space to the outside can also help to promote interaction between the residents.
To meet the demand for flexibility in the interior as well, flexible built-in furniture is used in the interior. Furthermore, the walls are partially replaced by sliding elements that allow rooms to be reduced or enlarged. The furniture can adapt to the different needs of the residents. Examples of such transformations would be the cupboard that can be turned into a work desk or the mattress that hides in the wall for guests who spontaneously stay overnight after all. Until now, the flats had no centrepiece, as all the rooms were separate from each other and stood on their own. This is now being changed, with the kitchen and living room together forming one space that stretches from north to south.
This provides the residents with opportunities for development and appropriation. The flexible and open plan of the flat allows the residents to adapt the flat to their needs. One is no longer dependent on the given, but can help shape one’s surroundings. Not only through decorative means, but also through architectural measures.
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