Wohnung für eine Familie von sechs Personen Brussels (BE)
Karl Augustinus Bieber and Ernst Althoff, tekeningen/drawings Marie Marcks
Abstract
The pavilion of the Federal Republic of Germany at Expo 58 in Brussels was designed by architects Egon Eiermann and Sep Ruf. The exhibition route led visitors via light walkways through eight individual, transparent volumes of different sizes. Visitors reached the ‘City and Home’ sector via the top floor, which was dedicated to the theme of ‘the city’. Various urban projects and challenges from the past decades were presented here, including the initiatives of the Bauhaus, the CIAM, the devastation of the war, and reconstruction projects such as the Hansaviertel in Berlin. The sector did not take a strong position on the high-rise debate that was taking place in Germany at the time, but it did highlight the benefits of a diversity of housing typologies.
On the ground floor, the theme of ‘the home’ was discussed, and diversity again played a central role. Two model apartments illustrated the new form of social housing, while a dining room and quality interior products in display cases showed the more luxurious segment. A small patio home that was added to the pavilion represented the idea of living ‘in direct contact with nature’.
