Editorial
Articles
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When we look back at the history of housing exhibitions, we see a history of residential architecture, but also of the various other issues related to housing. The exhibitions can be seen as a mirror of the social developments of the age, where architects tried to answer questions that were on the cutting edge of the present and the future.
Major developments in housing often occur after a period of social misery – the best ideas are often born out of necessity. The role that building exhibitions have played in promoting such ideas cannot be underestimated. These exhibitions allowed new ideas and solutions to arise freely because the absence of direct clients or residents meant that the borders of the possible could be reconnoitred in terms of building technology, but also in cultural and social terms.
In 1932, an age when the world was once again enduring economic hardship, two remarkable building exhibitions were held in Berlin and Vienna: ‘Sonne Luft und Haus für Alle!’ and ‘Das wachsende Haus’, both of which endeavoured to respond to the impact that the financial crisis was having on housing.
When we look back at the history of housing exhibitions, we see a history of residential architecture, but also of the various other issues related to housing. The exhibitions can be seen as a mirror of the social developments of the age, where architects tried to answer questions that were on the cutting edge of the present and the future.
Major developments in housing often occur after a period of social misery – the best ideas are often born out of necessity. The role that building exhibitions have played in promoting such ideas cannot be underestimated. These exhibitions allowed new ideas and solutions to arise freely because the absence of direct clients or residents meant that the borders of the possible could be reconnoitred in terms of building technology, but also in cultural and social terms.
In 1932, an age when the world was once again enduring economic hardship, two remarkable building exhibitions were held in Berlin and Vienna: ‘Sonne Luft und...
When we look back at the history of housing exhibitions, we see a history of residential architecture, but also of the various other issues related to housing. The exhibitions can be seen as a mirror of the social developments of the age, where architects tried to answer questions that were on...
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In 1930, the Stockholm Exhibition took place in Sweden. In addition to utensils and applied arts, the exposition included complete dwellings. Attracting 4 million visitors in five months, it is widely considered a breakthrough for functionalism in Swedish architecture and design. The exhibition was initiated by Svenska Slöjdföreningen or the Swedish Arts and Crafts Society. The leader of this designer’s association, Gregor Paulsson, was partly inspired by his 1927 visit to the Weissenhof Siedlungen. The exhibition pavilions, in most cases designed by Gunnar Asplund, radiated hope and optimism, despite the fact that Sweden was facing high unemployment and poor living conditions at the time.
In 1931, some of the architects involved in the Housing Section published their controversial manifesto acceptera propagating functionalism as the inevitable solution to the problems of the times. In the following article, Lucy Creagh takes a closer look at their exhibition contributions. – The Editors
In 1930, the Stockholm Exhibition took place in Sweden. In addition to utensils and applied arts, the exposition included complete dwellings. Attracting 4 million visitors in five months, it is widely considered a breakthrough for functionalism in Swedish architecture and design. The exhibition was initiated by Svenska Slöjdföreningen or the Swedish Arts and Crafts Society. The leader of this designer’s association, Gregor Paulsson, was partly inspired by his 1927 visit to the Weissenhof Siedlungen. The exhibition pavilions, in most cases designed by Gunnar Asplund, radiated hope and optimism, despite the fact that Sweden was facing high unemployment and poor living conditions at the time.
In 1931, some of the architects involved in the Housing Section published their controversial manifesto acceptera propagating functionalism as the inevitable solution to the problems of the times. In the following article, Lucy Creagh takes a closer look at their exhibition...
In 1930, the Stockholm Exhibition took place in Sweden. In addition to utensils and applied arts, the exposition included complete dwellings. Attracting 4 million visitors in five months, it is widely considered a breakthrough for functionalism in Swedish architecture and design. The...
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The 1957 Berlin Interbau, the international building exhibition, represented an array of superlatives, beginning with its size. When German Federal President Theodor Heuss opened the show on 6 July 1957, the newly built Hansaviertel was presented and thus for the first time an entire new city district as a component of an architectural exhibition. Centrally located in the heart of Berlin, across an area of 25 ha, a total of 1,300 dwellings were established along with community facilities, including two churches, a library, a retail centre and a school (which was built outside the official exhibition zone). In other words, a miniature model city was created within a city centre, an unprecedented step for a German building exhibition.
Besides the size of the exhibition area and the model-city character of the demonstration district, the large number of prominent national and international architects who took part was likewise unique. A total of 53 architects from 14 different countries presented their experimental designs, primarily for public sector housing. In addition, there were experiments with a whole range of different residential building types: tower blocks with 16 to 17 storeys, apartment blocks with seven to nine storeys, rows of apartments with three to four storeys and detached and interlinked single-family houses. Eye-catchers were the high-rise buildings with split-level homes by J.B. Bakema and J.H. van den Broek, Walter Gropius’s lightly curved nine-storey apartment block, and Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer’s seven-storey flats, which stood on V-shaped pilotis. Finland’s Alvar Aalto came up with a hybrid tower block and apartment building that was erected close to the flats created by Sweden’s Sten Samuelson and Fritz Jaenecke, as well as Frenchman Pierre Vago’s building. Outside the exhibition zone, other highlights were the Berlin version of Le Corbusier’s Unité d’habitation and Hugh Stubbins’ Kongresshalle, which the Americans gifted to Interbau.1 In addition to the architecture of the buildings, the Hansaviertel’s urban context emphasized the exhibition zone’s character as a model city. Once a densely built residential district with its blocks of houses aligned to the streets, property division no longer played a role in the urban design and concentration of the residential volumes gave rise to large communal green zones.
Interbau was a huge success in terms of the number of visitors. Over 1.3 million members of the general public and professionals visited the exhibition, many of them from East Berlin and abroad. However, the favourable reception from the general public and the publicity the Hansaviertel buildings received was in sharp contrast to the largely negative judgement passed on the urban design concept by the architectural world at large. The most frequent criticism voiced was that ‘the exhibition lacked an idea, an underlying concept’.2 The Hansaviertel was accused of being merely a platform for showcasing individual buildings by prominent architects, without a trace of convincing urban design coherence. The Bauwelt trade journal commented in resignation that perhaps the only successful idea was ‘the presentation of the top architects themselves’,3 and that it was ‘an array of missed opportunities, due to the lack of an urban design concept’.4 While preparations were still underway, Sigfried Giedion, CIAM’s Secretary, advised the Berlin Bausenator to prevent ‘an urban design disaster at so prominent a location’.
The 1957 Berlin Interbau, the international building exhibition, represented an array of superlatives, beginning with its size. When German Federal President Theodor Heuss opened the show on 6 July 1957, the newly built Hansaviertel was presented and thus for the first time an entire new city district as a component of an architectural exhibition. Centrally located in the heart of Berlin, across an area of 25 ha, a total of 1,300 dwellings were established along with community facilities, including two churches, a library, a retail centre and a school (which was built outside the official exhibition zone). In other words, a miniature model city was created within a city centre, an unprecedented step for a German building exhibition.
Besides the size of the exhibition area and the model-city character of the demonstration district, the large number of prominent national and international architects who took part was likewise unique. A total of 53 architects from 14...
The 1957 Berlin Interbau, the international building exhibition, represented an array of superlatives, beginning with its size. When German Federal President Theodor Heuss opened the show on 6 July 1957, the newly built Hansaviertel was presented and thus for the first time an entire new city...
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Often, it is only possible in retrospect to determine whether a particular period or event was a turning point in history. In the conventional historical account of public housing in the Netherlands, the introduction of the National Housing Act in 1902, the Second World War and the end of the post-war reconstruction in the second half of the 1960s are all considered pivotal events. In each of these cases, external incidents were the driving force behind radical accent shifts in policy, in the relationships between people involved and in particular in their orientation towards ambitions, in tasks and working methods. In housebuilding practice, turning points are also often reflected in new design principles emerging for houses and neighbourhoods. This makes the housing stock an easy-to-understand source of information about the societal, economic and sociocultural circumstances in which houses and residential districts came into being. In the 1980s a climate of reorientation in housing policy emerged, with radical consequences for the practice of house-building. As a result of political debate about the future of the housing market, the role of government and the development of housing associations, a new course was set and experiments were carried out in which new opportunities were explored. In this article, I will describe the outdoor exhibitions of the NWR-BouwRAI in 1990 and 1992 with the Muziekwijk and the Filmwijk, two neighbourhoods in Almere, which were much-discussed at the time, as a prelude to a reassessment of the appearance of houses and a reorientation on the then-standard design principles for dwelling floor plans. This architectural revival is perfectly understandable in the context of the policy changes deployed as a response to changing societal and political circumstances.
Often, it is only possible in retrospect to determine whether a particular period or event was a turning point in history. In the conventional historical account of public housing in the Netherlands, the introduction of the National Housing Act in 1902, the Second World War and the end of the post-war reconstruction in the second half of the 1960s are all considered pivotal events. In each of these cases, external incidents were the driving force behind radical accent shifts in policy, in the relationships between people involved and in particular in their orientation towards ambitions, in tasks and working methods. In housebuilding practice, turning points are also often reflected in new design principles emerging for houses and neighbourhoods. This makes the housing stock an easy-to-understand source of information about the societal, economic and sociocultural circumstances in which houses and residential districts came into being. In the 1980s a climate of reorientation in...
Often, it is only possible in retrospect to determine whether a particular period or event was a turning point in history. In the conventional historical account of public housing in the Netherlands, the introduction of the National Housing Act in 1902, the Second World War and the end of the...
Interviews
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‘If it’s about architectural splendour, Berlin is eager to dream of faded glory,’ Berlin newspaper Tagespiegel recently stated as the opening of an article announcing the demolition of the Lützowplatz building, a housing complex designed by wellknown architect Matthias Oswald Ungers.1 This project was one of the tangible results of the 1987 Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA). This residential complex was demolished in early 2013; at the same time there were plans to break down the Kreuzberg tower, architect John Hejduk’s contribution to the 1987 IBA. The Kreuzberg tower – a rare example of Hejduk’s built work – was fortunately saved at the last minute and is now even protected by the government and being restored by its new owners.
In the mean time plans were being made for a new Bauausstellung: IBA Berlin 2020. The objectives of this IBA were to realize ‘dreams from past ruins’ for the city, represented, for instance, by the rebuilding of the former city castle (now known as the Humboldtforum), but also to proudly present the city’s contemporary responses to current questions concerning housing and public space. Unfortunately, the preparation of this new IBA came to an early end in the fall of 2013. As the official website states: the Senate didn’t reserve room in the 2014/2015 budget to continue the preparation. Nevertheless, ‘even without the format of an International Building Exhibition these issues will remain on the agenda’.
‘If it’s about architectural splendour, Berlin is eager to dream of faded glory,’ Berlin newspaper Tagespiegel recently stated as the opening of an article announcing the demolition of the Lützowplatz building, a housing complex designed by wellknown architect Matthias Oswald Ungers.1 This project was one of the tangible results of the 1987 Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA). This residential complex was demolished in early 2013; at the same time there were plans to break down the Kreuzberg tower, architect John Hejduk’s contribution to the 1987 IBA. The Kreuzberg tower – a rare example of Hejduk’s built work – was fortunately saved at the last minute and is now even protected by the government and being restored by its new owners.
In the mean time plans were being made for a new Bauausstellung: IBA Berlin 2020. The objectives of this IBA were to realize ‘dreams from past ruins’ for the city, represented, for instance, by the rebuilding of the former...
‘If it’s about architectural splendour, Berlin is eager to dream of faded glory,’ Berlin newspaper Tagespiegel recently stated as the opening of an article announcing the demolition of the Lützowplatz building, a housing complex designed by wellknown architect Matthias Oswald Ungers.1...
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The Museum of Modern Art in New York, established in 1929, played an important role in the propagation of modern architecture. The Department of Architecture and Design was founded in 1932 as the first museum department in the world dedicated to the intersection of architecture and design. Philip Johnson, the department’s first head, directed, with Henry-Russell Hitchcock, the Museum’s 1932 ‘Modern Architecture –International Exhibition’ and they wrote the famous accompanying book The International Style. Barry Bergdoll, the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA since January 2007, and a professor of art history at Columbia since 1985, discusses with DASH his efforts to expand MoMA’s role to support experimentation and advocacy in architecture and design.1 In 2008 he curated the exhibition ‘Home Delivery’, which examined factory-produced houses from 1833 to today.
In addition to a gallery with traditional architectural display tools, Bergdoll took advantage of a vacant lot next to the museum where five full-scale houses were shown. With these full-scale exhibition houses Bergdoll renewed an old tradition, since, in 1949, 1950 and 1954, MoMA had already sponsored and hosted mock-ups of houses that reflected seminal ideas in the history of architecture in the garden of the museum.
The Museum of Modern Art in New York, established in 1929, played an important role in the propagation of modern architecture. The Department of Architecture and Design was founded in 1932 as the first museum department in the world dedicated to the intersection of architecture and design. Philip Johnson, the department’s first head, directed, with Henry-Russell Hitchcock, the Museum’s 1932 ‘Modern Architecture –International Exhibition’ and they wrote the famous accompanying book The International Style. Barry Bergdoll, the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA since January 2007, and a professor of art history at Columbia since 1985, discusses with DASH his efforts to expand MoMA’s role to support experimentation and advocacy in architecture and design.1 In 2008 he curated the exhibition ‘Home Delivery’, which examined factory-produced houses from 1833 to today.
In addition to a gallery with traditional architectural display...
The Museum of Modern Art in New York, established in 1929, played an important role in the propagation of modern architecture. The Department of Architecture and Design was founded in 1932 as the first museum department in the world dedicated to the intersection of architecture and design....
Case Studies
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The planning documentation for this ninth issue of DASH contains ten exhibition projects that give an overview of the different approaches to, and motivations behind, housing exhibitions during the past 100 years. All of the documented examples featured homes exhibited on a 1:1 scale. With the exception of the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung unserer Zeit’, which was meant to be temporary, the homes in the other nine projects remained even after the exhibition period was finished, and have since been permanently inhabited. Each of these ten exhibitions forms a mirror of the prevailing Zeitgeist. They call for change, expose shortcomings, form a platform for experimentation, offer a stage for political propaganda, or attempt to initiate urban renewal.
The planning documentation for this ninth issue of DASH contains ten exhibition projects that give an overview of the different approaches to, and motivations behind, housing exhibitions during the past 100 years. All of the documented examples featured homes exhibited on a 1:1 scale. With the exception of the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung unserer Zeit’, which was meant to be temporary, the homes in the other nine projects remained even after the exhibition period was finished, and have since been permanently inhabited. Each of these ten exhibitions forms a mirror of the prevailing Zeitgeist. They call for change, expose shortcomings, form a platform for experimentation, offer a stage for political propaganda, or attempt to initiate urban renewal.
The planning documentation for this ninth issue of DASH contains ten exhibition projects that give an overview of the different approaches to, and motivations behind, housing exhibitions during the past 100 years. All of the documented examples featured homes exhibited on a 1:1 scale. With the...
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In 1899, Ernst Ludwig von Hessen, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and the grandson of Queen Victoria, founded the Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie (Darmstadt Artists’ Colony). In the previous year, the Darmstadt art publisher Alexander Koch had made it clear in a treatise to the Grand Duke that the intertwining of art and craft was of great importance, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from an economic perspective. Koch suggested establishing a working and living community for artists, and the Grand Duke embraced the idea. He had a passion for art and architecture (the interior and the furniture of his palace, for example, was designed by Baillie Scott), and he invited four artists (Hans Christiansen, Rudolf Bosselt, Paul Bürck, and Patriz Huber) to form a free creative community in which they could live and work. Shortly after the colony was established, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich (a former student of Viennese architect Otto Wagner), painter Peter Behrens and sculptor Ludwig Habich were also brought to Darmstadt. In the years prior to this, Olbrich, together with Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann, had founded the Vienna Secession, an association of artists, sculptors and architects.
In 1899, Ernst Ludwig von Hessen, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and the grandson of Queen Victoria, founded the Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie (Darmstadt Artists’ Colony). In the previous year, the Darmstadt art publisher Alexander Koch had made it clear in a treatise to the Grand Duke that the intertwining of art and craft was of great importance, not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also from an economic perspective. Koch suggested establishing a working and living community for artists, and the Grand Duke embraced the idea. He had a passion for art and architecture (the interior and the furniture of his palace, for example, was designed by Baillie Scott), and he invited four artists (Hans Christiansen, Rudolf Bosselt, Paul Bürck, and Patriz Huber) to form a free creative community in which they could live and work. Shortly after the colony was established, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich (a former student of Viennese architect Otto Wagner), painter Peter Behrens...
In 1899, Ernst Ludwig von Hessen, the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt and the grandson of Queen Victoria, founded the Darmstädter Künstlerkolonie (Darmstadt Artists’ Colony). In the previous year, the Darmstadt art publisher Alexander Koch had made it clear in a treatise to the Grand Duke...
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In 1931, amid the economic crisis, the Deutsche Bauausstellung opened in Berlin. It was the result of an initiative started several years beforehand to open a permanent building exhibition in Berlin. Part of this exhibition was to consist of several separate, temporary exhibitions, such as the ‘Internationale Ausstellung für Städtebau und Wohnungswesen’ and the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung unserer Zeit’. This latter exhibition covered an entire exhibition hall, and was set up under the leadership of Mies van der Rohe. It seemed that Mies here was picking up the thread from Stuttgart’s Weissenhof Siedlung in 1927, which he had also organized. But this new exhibition would be taking place indoors, in a hall where 1:1 models were built based on the designs of the participants, who were now limited to architects living and working in Germany. Mies introduced the exhibitions with the statement: ‘The home for our age has not yet been created. But changes in living conditions will ensure that this new home will indeed be created.’
One of the main themes was the issue that Gropius had addressed, namely high-rise versus low-rise buildings. Yet by being set in a large hall, where apartments could only be displayed as a fragment of a larger whole, it was difficult to make a direct comparison between the two forms of housing; instead, attention was now focused on the layout and the design of the homes. The entries seemed to fall into two categories. Most striking were the shiny interiors for villas and apartments featuring tube-based furniture by architects such as Mies van der Rohe, Breuer, Hilbersheimer and Gropius, all of whom were affiliated with Dessau’s Bauhaus. The other category of entries took a more functionalist approach to the issue of small (and often ground-floor) homes by architects including Häring and Schuster. As a possible answer to Mies’s call for housing that resonated with changing living patterns, a number of designers created apartments for a ‘Boarding Haus’, with collective spaces on the ground floor.
In 1931, amid the economic crisis, the Deutsche Bauausstellung opened in Berlin. It was the result of an initiative started several years beforehand to open a permanent building exhibition in Berlin. Part of this exhibition was to consist of several separate, temporary exhibitions, such as the ‘Internationale Ausstellung für Städtebau und Wohnungswesen’ and the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung unserer Zeit’. This latter exhibition covered an entire exhibition hall, and was set up under the leadership of Mies van der Rohe. It seemed that Mies here was picking up the thread from Stuttgart’s Weissenhof Siedlung in 1927, which he had also organized. But this new exhibition would be taking place indoors, in a hall where 1:1 models were built based on the designs of the participants, who were now limited to architects living and working in Germany. Mies introduced the exhibitions with the statement: ‘The home for our age has not yet been created. But changes in living conditions...
In 1931, amid the economic crisis, the Deutsche Bauausstellung opened in Berlin. It was the result of an initiative started several years beforehand to open a permanent building exhibition in Berlin. Part of this exhibition was to consist of several separate, temporary exhibitions, such as the...
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The Wiener Werkbundsiedlung was created as the last in a group of example neighbourhoods that were built in Central Europe between 1927 and 1932 as part of a series of architecture exhibitions. They were an initiative of the various Werkbund organizations in Europe, and were intended as showcases for the ideas of modern architecture, and as a response to the issue of the cheap and small singlefamily home. In keeping with this objective, the Wiener Werkbundsiedlung was primarily a catalogue of different housing types that could be applied in future residential areas.
The project was initiated by Josef Frank, who at the time was the only Austrian invited to participate in the Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart called ‘Die Wohnung’ (Weissenhofsiedlung, 1927). In contrast to the urban superblocks, which were built under the housing programme of Das Rote Wien (Red Vienna), Frank introduced the ideal of the single-family house with a garden. He modelled the urban plan on a traditional village, so it seemed as if the neighbourhood had grown over time. Rationalization, standardization and the use of new (prefabricated) construction techniques were among the priorities of the Weissenhofsiedlung, in order to produce cheap housing in series. But Josef Frank argued that the building materials and construction hardly played a role in the assignment of the Minimum Dwelling, because the programme was so rigidly determined that these aspects did not contribute to any innovation in the design. He emphasized the importance of creating a liveable, comfortable home, and opposed the formalism and dogmas of the modernists: ‘Modern architecture not only needs to be functional, but also needs to meet the actual needs of people, of sentimentality and comfort’ (Frank, Architektur as Symbol, 1931).
The Wiener Werkbundsiedlung was created as the last in a group of example neighbourhoods that were built in Central Europe between 1927 and 1932 as part of a series of architecture exhibitions. They were an initiative of the various Werkbund organizations in Europe, and were intended as showcases for the ideas of modern architecture, and as a response to the issue of the cheap and small singlefamily home. In keeping with this objective, the Wiener Werkbundsiedlung was primarily a catalogue of different housing types that could be applied in future residential areas.
The project was initiated by Josef Frank, who at the time was the only Austrian invited to participate in the Werkbund exhibition in Stuttgart called ‘Die Wohnung’ (Weissenhofsiedlung, 1927). In contrast to the urban superblocks, which were built under the housing programme of Das Rote Wien (Red Vienna), Frank introduced the ideal of the single-family house with a garden. He modelled the urban plan on a...
The Wiener Werkbundsiedlung was created as the last in a group of example neighbourhoods that were built in Central Europe between 1927 and 1932 as part of a series of architecture exhibitions. They were an initiative of the various Werkbund organizations in Europe, and were intended as...
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In 1937, a major exhibition was organized in Düsseldorf, at the site where the Nordpark is currently located. The event took place four years after the National Socialists had seized power in Germany, and coincided with the World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle) in Paris. The initiator of the exhibition was the Deutsche Werkbund (the German Association of Craftsmen), which in 1927 had successfully organized the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung’ and constructed the settlement known as the Weissenhof Siedlung. The aim of the exhibition was to allow a previously abandoned exhibition, which had been called ‘Die Neue Zeit’ (The New Age), to in fact take place. But in 1933, the board of the Werkbund had taken on a National Socialist character: from that point onwards, its architect-members needed to have an ‘Aryan Certificate’. The state saw an opportunity to use this exhibition as a propaganda tool for the transformation of the German Reich under Hitler’s Four Year Plan; this plan was meant to make Germany independent in terms of raw materials imported from abroad within four years. The exhibition concept was modified and adapted to the leading political movement, which meant that an exhibition that had been planned as a Werkbund event became a propaganda tool for the Four Year Plan.
In 1937, a major exhibition was organized in Düsseldorf, at the site where the Nordpark is currently located. The event took place four years after the National Socialists had seized power in Germany, and coincided with the World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle) in Paris. The initiator of the exhibition was the Deutsche Werkbund (the German Association of Craftsmen), which in 1927 had successfully organized the exhibition ‘Die Wohnung’ and constructed the settlement known as the Weissenhof Siedlung. The aim of the exhibition was to allow a previously abandoned exhibition, which had been called ‘Die Neue Zeit’ (The New Age), to in fact take place. But in 1933, the board of the Werkbund had taken on a National Socialist character: from that point onwards, its architect-members needed to have an ‘Aryan Certificate’. The state saw an opportunity to use this exhibition as a propaganda tool for the transformation of the German Reich under Hitler’s Four Year Plan; this...
In 1937, a major exhibition was organized in Düsseldorf, at the site where the Nordpark is currently located. The event took place four years after the National Socialists had seized power in Germany, and coincided with the World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle) in Paris. The initiator of...
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In 1930 the echoes of the 1927 Weissenhof exhibition were received at the fourth edition of the triennial of Monza. The architecture section went beyond the traditional exhibition of architectural drawings and models to build full-scale prototypes on the theme of the ‘modern house’. In 1933, the fifth triennial moved from Monza to Milan where Gio Ponti, director of the architecture exhibition, promoted ‘housing culture’ in order to highlight the role of modern architecture in the construction of a new society. At the sixth triennial (1936), Giuseppe Pagano explored the Fascist rhetoric of pauperization to advance an in-depth research on the rationalization of housing design, which he himself emphasized with his study of the ‘functionalism of the rural house’.
Meanwhile, serial production and standardization gained currency, and one-off, exceptional cases, such as the bourgeois house, were downplayed. In the seventh triennial, held in 1940 – with the Second World War already in progress – the architecture exhibition explored the dichotomy between industrialization and craftsmanship. Due to the war, the productive outcome of this debate would have to be postponed. It was eventually resumed in 1945 when Milan was a wrecked city, with 56 per cent of the houses destroyed by bombings and one-fifth of the population homeless.
In 1930 the echoes of the 1927 Weissenhof exhibition were received at the fourth edition of the triennial of Monza. The architecture section went beyond the traditional exhibition of architectural drawings and models to build full-scale prototypes on the theme of the ‘modern house’. In 1933, the fifth triennial moved from Monza to Milan where Gio Ponti, director of the architecture exhibition, promoted ‘housing culture’ in order to highlight the role of modern architecture in the construction of a new society. At the sixth triennial (1936), Giuseppe Pagano explored the Fascist rhetoric of pauperization to advance an in-depth research on the rationalization of housing design, which he himself emphasized with his study of the ‘functionalism of the rural house’.
Meanwhile, serial production and standardization gained currency, and one-off, exceptional cases, such as the bourgeois house, were downplayed. In the seventh triennial, held in 1940 – with the Second...
In 1930 the echoes of the 1927 Weissenhof exhibition were received at the fourth edition of the triennial of Monza. The architecture section went beyond the traditional exhibition of architectural drawings and models to build full-scale prototypes on the theme of the ‘modern house’. In...
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The creation of this international showcase of ‘domestic culture’ dates back to 1960, when the Bouwfonds Nederlandse Gemeenten (a former semi-public company that focused on homes and mortgages) put up a piece of land for sale in the Dutch village of Doorwerth, earmarked to be used for ‘normal development’. But the Bouwfonds’s director at the time, J. Wiersema, thought that this site was too unique for typical standard homes, and came up with a plan to build a variety of homes here of the types that the Bouwfonds had been building since its inception in 1946. He also had in mind a series of prefabricated bungalows from abroad, which would give a good insight into the domestic cultures of the respective countries.
The idea was developed in urban planning terms by J.T.P. Bijhouwer (1898-1974), a professor of horticulture and landscape architecture in Wageningen, together with the Nederlandse Heidemaatschappij (the Dutch Moorland Reclamation Society) and the municipality of Renkum. The site was located in the wooded section of an existing residential area, and the plan was loosely designed with many communal green areas, and the preservation of as many trees as possible.
The creation of this international showcase of ‘domestic culture’ dates back to 1960, when the Bouwfonds Nederlandse Gemeenten (a former semi-public company that focused on homes and mortgages) put up a piece of land for sale in the Dutch village of Doorwerth, earmarked to be used for ‘normal development’. But the Bouwfonds’s director at the time, J. Wiersema, thought that this site was too unique for typical standard homes, and came up with a plan to build a variety of homes here of the types that the Bouwfonds had been building since its inception in 1946. He also had in mind a series of prefabricated bungalows from abroad, which would give a good insight into the domestic cultures of the respective countries.
The idea was developed in urban planning terms by J.T.P. Bijhouwer (1898-1974), a professor of horticulture and landscape architecture in Wageningen, together with the Nederlandse Heidemaatschappij (the Dutch Moorland Reclamation Society) and the...
The creation of this international showcase of ‘domestic culture’ dates back to 1960, when the Bouwfonds Nederlandse Gemeenten (a former semi-public company that focused on homes and mortgages) put up a piece of land for sale in the Dutch village of Doorwerth, earmarked to be used for...
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The experimental residential area known as Documenta Urbana arose in the context of Documenta, the contemporary art exhibition that began in Kassel in 1955, and now takes place once every five years. Documenta Urbana was ultimately not part of the programme of Documenta 7 (1982), but that made it no less topical. The programme for the neighbourhood came about against the backdrop of criticism of post-war, large-scale residential architecture as well as the later sprawling low-rise neighbourhoods, and the exodus from the city. The purpose of Documenta Urbana was to show, in a time of increased prosperity and a concurrent increase in leisure time, a model for a neighbourhood that was new, urban, and at the same time green, with more living and leisure space for adults and children, both inside and outside the home, as an alternative to the old city. In the Dönche, a nature reserve on the south-western slopes on the outskirts of the city, an area known as Schöne Aussicht (beautiful view) was chosen as a suitable location for the new model neighbourhood.
The neighbourhood and the homes were designed by nine architects, some German and some foreign, including Hinrich Baller, Herman Hertzberger and Otto Steidle. Noteworthy in the process were the design sessions, at which the nine architects together developed the urban plan (based on a proposal by Baller) and the transitions between the different components, as well as the coherence of the entire plan. The long residential building in particular, the so-called ‘residential snake’, composed of elements designed by six different architects, can be seen as a symbol of the unity in diversity that was striven for in this neighbourhood. This snake embodies the actual and symbolic heart of the plan; it forms the transition between the urban residential buildings along the Heinrich Schütz- Allee thoroughfare in the north, and the smaller residential courtyards along the southern edge. The snake opens up in the middle; Hinrich and Inken Baller designed the heads as a gate to the rear portion of the neighbourhood. The snake contains apartments with communal entrances in three to four layers. These homes are where the architects’ often explicit ideas regarding collectivity, openness, urbanization, industrialization and flexibility are expressed the most powerfully. The tail of the snake is formed by a rounded section partly made of glass, with three apartments per layer (designed by Hilmer and Sattler). The head of the snake curls into a courtyard, whose tip is formed by a stepped building mass with two apartments per floor, designed by Otto Steidle.
The experimental residential area known as Documenta Urbana arose in the context of Documenta, the contemporary art exhibition that began in Kassel in 1955, and now takes place once every five years. Documenta Urbana was ultimately not part of the programme of Documenta 7 (1982), but that made it no less topical. The programme for the neighbourhood came about against the backdrop of criticism of post-war, large-scale residential architecture as well as the later sprawling low-rise neighbourhoods, and the exodus from the city. The purpose of Documenta Urbana was to show, in a time of increased prosperity and a concurrent increase in leisure time, a model for a neighbourhood that was new, urban, and at the same time green, with more living and leisure space for adults and children, both inside and outside the home, as an alternative to the old city. In the Dönche, a nature reserve on the south-western slopes on the outskirts of the city, an area known as Schöne Aussicht...
The experimental residential area known as Documenta Urbana arose in the context of Documenta, the contemporary art exhibition that began in Kassel in 1955, and now takes place once every five years. Documenta Urbana was ultimately not part of the programme of Documenta 7 (1982), but that made...
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In 1979, 23 years after the realization of the Interbau exhibition in Berlin’s Hansaviertel district, the initiative was taken to organize a new, large-scale building exhibition in Berlin. When the exhibition officially ended in 1987, a large number of projects had been built, but together these amounted to only half of the construction plans. The original theme – the city as a place of residence (Der Stadt als Wohnort) – was eventually developed in two separate parts: new urban construction (under the title ‘Kritische Rekonstruktion der Stadt’) and urban renewal (‘Behutsame Stadterneuerung’). Together, both groups of projects formed a manifesto against the urban development in post-war Berlin, which was characterized by large-scale projects, prefabrication and the ignoring of existing structures and buildings. In the introduction to the official project overview from 1987, Josef Paul Kleihues, who was in charge of the section relating to new construction, talked about a dialogue between modernity and tradition that was meant to lead to the so-called ‘critical reconstruction’ of the city.
For the new construction part of the IBA, various sections of Berlin were considered. A disused harbour near Tegel was transformed into a new residential area. The master plan for this project was designed by Charles Moore. Projects by Tigerman, Hejduk and Stern formed a kind of catalogue of postmodernism, which was advancing from the USA to Europe. In the Südliches Tiergarten district, a previously unprecedented typological variation in terms of Berlin housing was realized. The new building on the Rauchstrasse, with its detached urban villas based on a master plan designed by Rob Krier, inspired similar projects around the world.
In 1979, 23 years after the realization of the Interbau exhibition in Berlin’s Hansaviertel district, the initiative was taken to organize a new, large-scale building exhibition in Berlin. When the exhibition officially ended in 1987, a large number of projects had been built, but together these amounted to only half of the construction plans. The original theme – the city as a place of residence (Der Stadt als Wohnort) – was eventually developed in two separate parts: new urban construction (under the title ‘Kritische Rekonstruktion der Stadt’) and urban renewal (‘Behutsame Stadterneuerung’). Together, both groups of projects formed a manifesto against the urban development in post-war Berlin, which was characterized by large-scale projects, prefabrication and the ignoring of existing structures and buildings. In the introduction to the official project overview from 1987, Josef Paul Kleihues, who was in charge of the section relating to new construction, talked...
In 1979, 23 years after the realization of the Interbau exhibition in Berlin’s Hansaviertel district, the initiative was taken to organize a new, large-scale building exhibition in Berlin. When the exhibition officially ended in 1987, a large number of projects had been built, but together...
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Malmö, with its 270,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in Sweden. Since 2000, Malmö has been connected to Copenhagen by the Öresund Bridge, yet it has continued to struggle with its image as a dilapidated port city. To shed this image, the city developed a plan (together with the Swedish state and a range of other partners) to transform Malmö into an exemplary sustainable city, in accordance with the LIP (Local Investment Programme, 1998-2003). A flywheel in this process was the housing exhibition known as ‘Bo01 Framtidsstaden’ (City of Tomorrow), which was held in the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) section of Malmö. On the basis of a quality programme, this exhibition offered guidelines in terms of a varied architectural appearance and quality, the use of ecological materials, energy that is 100 percent recoverable, green public spaces and technical infrastructure. Bo01 is indebted to the twentieth century housing tradition in Sweden, where the majority of the population lives in (small) apartments in the cities, with a high degree of density. The 1940s notion of the ‘neighbourhood unit’, which symbolized the Swedish welfare state, consisted of houses and a downtown centre with all imaginable amenities. This model was used as the inspiration for Bo01.
Malmö, with its 270,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in Sweden. Since 2000, Malmö has been connected to Copenhagen by the Öresund Bridge, yet it has continued to struggle with its image as a dilapidated port city. To shed this image, the city developed a plan (together with the Swedish state and a range of other partners) to transform Malmö into an exemplary sustainable city, in accordance with the LIP (Local Investment Programme, 1998-2003). A flywheel in this process was the housing exhibition known as ‘Bo01 Framtidsstaden’ (City of Tomorrow), which was held in the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbour) section of Malmö. On the basis of a quality programme, this exhibition offered guidelines in terms of a varied architectural appearance and quality, the use of ecological materials, energy that is 100 percent recoverable, green public spaces and technical infrastructure. Bo01 is indebted to the twentieth century housing tradition in Sweden, where the majority of the...
Malmö, with its 270,000 inhabitants, is the third-largest city in Sweden. Since 2000, Malmö has been connected to Copenhagen by the Öresund Bridge, yet it has continued to struggle with its image as a dilapidated port city. To shed this image, the city developed a plan (together with the...
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Much like other recent IBA exhibitions, IBA Hamburg 2013 covers a large area, and also touches on a wide range of topics. The activities take place on the river islands of Wilhelmsburg and Veddel. On these Elbeinseln (Elbe islands), with their unique urban, industrial and geographical characteristics, the IBA’s three main themes are addressed: the multicultural city (Cosmopolis), ecology, sustainability and climate (Stadt im Klimawandel), and urban peripheries (Metrozonen). This latter theme refers to traffic arteries, wetlands or abandoned industrial sites that are part of the city, but that have not yet been developed. About 50 projects will be realized in the framework of IBA Hamburg, many of which have already been completed.
Under the title ‘building exhibition within the building exhibition’, an experimental residential programme will take place in the centre of Wilhelmsburg. The projects are meant to showcase residential concepts that are relevant to the metropolis of the twenty-first century. The four chosen themes are: changing patterns of use (Hybrid Houses), smart materials (Smart Material Houses), affordable housing (Smart Price Houses), and living with water (Water Houses). For each theme there is a competition, and from these entries ten projects have been selected to be built.
Much like other recent IBA exhibitions, IBA Hamburg 2013 covers a large area, and also touches on a wide range of topics. The activities take place on the river islands of Wilhelmsburg and Veddel. On these Elbeinseln (Elbe islands), with their unique urban, industrial and geographical characteristics, the IBA’s three main themes are addressed: the multicultural city (Cosmopolis), ecology, sustainability and climate (Stadt im Klimawandel), and urban peripheries (Metrozonen). This latter theme refers to traffic arteries, wetlands or abandoned industrial sites that are part of the city, but that have not yet been developed. About 50 projects will be realized in the framework of IBA Hamburg, many of which have already been completed.
Under the title ‘building exhibition within the building exhibition’, an experimental residential programme will take place in the centre of Wilhelmsburg. The projects are meant to showcase residential concepts that are relevant to the...
Much like other recent IBA exhibitions, IBA Hamburg 2013 covers a large area, and also touches on a wide range of topics. The activities take place on the river islands of Wilhelmsburg and Veddel. On these Elbeinseln (Elbe islands), with their unique urban, industrial and geographical...