VON M
HS77
best architects 24
multi-family homes
Place
Stuttgart, Germany
Studio
Photos
Zooey Braun
Description
Rising land prices and construction costs, as well as the
need for a good work/life balance, which became apparent once again in the Covid
pandemic, led to two houses – dug like identical twins into a steeply rising slope
in the south of Stuttgart – whose floor plans allow for different forms of
living today and in the future. The semi-detached houses each take up the eaves
height and building depth of their neighbour and formally play out the theme of
prefabrication in every detail. Because up to three storeys had to be dug into
the slope, and in order to keep planning and construction costs low, a catalogue
of simple details and joints was developed using precast concrete elements. The
disadvantages of the material (CO₂ emissions) are compensated for by long-term
flexible use, which allows for different floor plan variants as well as
conversions. A cruciform floor plan scheme allows for different options for configuring
interior spaces using lightweight curtains, wooden partitions and cabinets.
This creates a fluid core within the robust structure, which wraps around the
interior of the house like a protective shell. The four-storey houses, each
currently occupied by a family, can later be used as shared apartments for the
elderly, or individual floors can be separated off as granny apartments. Living
is conceived here as the totality of our activities, making use by the
occupants possible even in a constellation not yet defined today in an
unwritten future.