Wohnen Morgen | Ottokar Uhl and Jos P. Weber, Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Architektur
Austria | 1976 | soft form
| Address: | Hollabrunn |
| Work Type: | new built |
| Context: | town |
| Number of Storeys: | 3-storey |
| Type of Building: | terrace |
| Number of Units: | 70 |
Description
Based on an entry to the 1971 'Wohnen Morgen' or Living / Housing competition, run by the Austrian government department for building and technology, the scheme deals with the problem of building for the unknown future user. The project takes as its starting point the SAR method of support and infill developed by Habraken and his collaborators. Firstly, primary and secondary structure were separated. Secondly, a modular dimensional system was adopted to coordinate all elements. Thirdly, the system was designed to be open to accommodate any materials and forms of technology. Finally, zones were defined to accommodate different functions.
The planning application itself was submitted with the comment that the exact number and types of apartments would only finally be determined once the future occupants had designed their respective units, and so the indicated layouts only showed one possible form of subdivision. The loadbearing structure consists of prefabricated Lecca concrete columns and beams, with a dimension between centre lines of 5.1 and 9.6 metres, and in-situ reinforced concrete ceilings. The only fixed element in plan is the staircase whose enclosing walls double up as service cores. Within these limitations, party and partition walls can be placed freely. In the end, only half of the seventy dwelling units were designed by their future occupants themselves as only 34 people had expressed interest in buying a unit when detailed planning began. The occupants, aided by the architects as well as sociologists, were able to choose: the arrangement of walls within the support structure of the dwelling units; the size of the dwellings, by determining the position of the facade elements; the subdivision of the dwelling into rooms, which also included kitchens and bathrooms; the number, type and position of windows and doors; and the finishing of the dwellings. It was estimated that this participatory process added 5% to the budget, a cost covered by the Ministry of Housing.References
'A plan-it-yourself experiment: future occupants participate in designing their own homes in Wohnen Morgen, a new residential district of Hollabrunn', Domus, 1976, pp. 9-16.
Dirisamer, R., F. Kuzmich, O. Uhl, and W. Voss, 'Überbauung "Wohnen morgen" in Hollabrunn, Niederösterreich', werk · archithese, 64, 1977, pp. 21-24.
Froyen, H.-P., 'A review of 3 projects: Wohnen Morgen in Hollabrunn, architects Ottokar Uhl and Jos P Weber; support-infill project for tenants in Vienna, architect Ottokar Uhl; and an examination of existing mass housing as support', Openhouse, 2, 1977, pp. 21-29.
Johann, W., ''Wohnen Morgen' in Hollabrunn', Architect (The Hague), 12, 1981, pp. 68-71.
'Wohnhausanlage "Wohnen Morgen"', Bauforum, 18, 1985, pp. 19-23.
Wulz, F., 'Partizipation im Wohnungsbau', Deutsche Bauzeitung, 114, 1980, pp. 51-58.