Courtyard Houses: A Housing Typology 9783764379247, 9783764378400

Table of contents :
Preface
Typology
The principle of combination
Floor plan type
Garden courtyard house
Group of houses "Matosinhos"
Brick House
Detached house
Group of houses "Amstelveenseweg"
Group of houses "Quinta da Barca"
Student project
Residential ensemble
Detached house "Haus X"
Group of houses "Interreg 2"
Project "Buchholz Ost"
Residential house
Student project
Student project
Project "Brünnen Nord"
Courtyard house study
Detached house "Rua do Crasto"
Residential house
Student project
Shared courtyard house
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Project "Buchholz"
L-shaped house
Three studio houses
System houses
Project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Student project
Group of L-shaped houses
Group of houses
Group of houses "Dammstraϐe"
Student project
Patio house
Detached house "Casa No Litoral Alentejano"
Weekend house
OS House
Residences in Minusio
Detached house
Student project
Student project
Group of houses "Kleine Rieteiland"
Apartment house
Group of houses "Gooimeer"
Group of houses "Liquid Sky"
Atrium-type house
Detached house "Machiya"
Detached house "FOB Home 1"
Apartment house
Student project
Student project
Bibliography
Illustration credits

Citation preview

Courtyard Houses

This book is also available in a German language edition. (ISBN 978-3-7643-7839-4) Library of Congress Control Number: 2007932929 Translation from German into English Usch Engelmann, Seattle

Graphic Design and Drawings: Sebastian Schaal, Martin Trefon Assistance: Simon Gallner, Leon Schmidt

Bibliographic information published by the German National Library The German National Library lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in data bases. For any kind of use, permission of the copyright owner must be obtained.

© 2008 Birkhauser Verlag AG Basel· Boston· Berlin P.O. Box 133, CH-4010 Basel, Switzerland Part of Springer Science+Business Media Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF

OCJ

Printed in Germany ISBN: 978-3-7643-7840-0

9 8 7 6 543 2 1

www.birkhauser.ch

Gunter Pfeifer and Per Brauneck

Courtyard Houses A Housing Typology

Birkhauser Basel· Boston· Berlin

Contents Preface

6

Typology

8

The principle of combination

18

Floor plan types

20

Garden courtyard house Group of houses" Matosinhos", Eduardo Souto de Moura Brick House, FKL Architects Detached house, Ernst Linsberger Group of houses" Amstelveenseweg", Claus en Kaan Group of houses" Quinta da Barca", Joao Alvaro Rocha Student project, Martin Trefon Residential ensemble, Lang + Schwarzler Detached house" Haus X", Netzwerkarchitekten Group of houses" Interreg 2", Motorplan Project" Buchholz Ost". Atelier 5 Residential house, MADA s.p.a.m. Student project, Oliver Schaper Student project, Hong Viet Duc Project" BrUnnen Nord", Atelier 5 Courtyard house study, Markus Rommel Detached house" Rua do Crasto", Eduardo Souto de Moura Residential house, Patrick Gartmann Student project, Jan Hendrik Hafke

22 24

26 28

30 31

32 34 36 38 39 40 42 43 44

46 48 50

Shared courtyard house Student project, Daniel Lenz Student project, Alexandra Jagiela Student project, Sandra Dolder Student project, Marco Sedat Student project, Beate Heigel Project" Buchholz", Rainer Oefelein

52 54 56 58 59

60

L-shaped house Three studio houses, Becher + Rottkamp System houses, G. A. S. Sahner Project, GUnter Pfeifer Student project, Leon Schmidt Student project, Sebastian Schaal Student project, Simon Gallner Student project, Martin Trefon Student project, Kamilla Patzhold

4

62 64 66

67 68

69 70 71

Student project, Per Brauneck Student project, Kathrin Ellner

72 73

Group of L-shaped houses Group of houses, Roser-Kuhn Group of houses" DammstraBe", Roser-Kuhn Student project, Eva Martini

74 76 78

Patio house Detached house" Casa No Litoral Alentejano", Aires Mateus & Associados Weekend house, Ryue Nishizawa OS House, Nolaster Residences in Minusio, Raffaele Cavadini Detached house, Krischanitz & Frank Student project, Nik Wenzke Student project, Jan Kucera Group of houses" Kleine Rieteiland" , Bosch Architects Apartment house, Ryue Nishizawa Group of houses" Gooimeer", Neutelings Riedij k Group of houses" Liqu id Sky", Pentaplan

80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100

Atrium-type house Detached house" Machiya", Kazunari Sakamoto Detached house" FOB Home 1". EO.B.Architects Apartment house, Kazunari Sakamoto Student project, Sebastian Schaal Student project, Sebastian Schaal

102 104 106 107 108

Bibliography

110

Illustration credits

112

5

Preface The way we live is a direct transformation of social structures, politics, religion and topos and, as such, mirrors society. Methods of construction and materials employed turn the various types of residential dwellings into products of the conditions of their context, e.g. the immediate spatial su rroundings, the climate, flora and fauna, etc. Thus, complex house types evolved such as the Greek and Roman peristyle house, the Chinese and Islam ic courtyard house and the various European farmhouse types. The urban structures of districts and housing developments in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris or Venice were founded on the typological particularities of their residential buildings. In the age of globalisation, it seems that the characteristics of the different types of dwellings with their particular regional features have been forgotten. Technical innovations enable and encourage the disappearance of local, passive regulatory systems that were simple and ecological. Onesimple residential house type is the Black Forest house, which represents a cultural form of living, working, security, and continuity. Th is house type effectively reacts on the given conditions, exploits possibilities, and combines a farmyard, stable, harvest shed and dwelling to form one unit under a single roof. It is a direct image of the social structure within itscultural and economic context. Season -related daily work routines permeate shape, function and structure of the house and result in an authentic and ecologic house type that is simple yet highly complex. Since the industrial revolution, increasingly shorter cycles of social, economic and ecologic changes have caused a break in the continuous development of regional house types such as the Black Forest house. New global life patterns have unhinged the living space from its immediate spatial context. Different durations and habits of use necessitate flexible typologies. Socialisation patterns have diversified as well; known collective living patterns in permanent family and relationship structures have lost their influential power. Complex relationships have developed that result in a multifaceted fragmentation of different psychological worlds. Today, we experience this multiphren ic situation as a normal way of life. In our world, traditional housing patterns have decreased in value; some have even become completely unsuitable. The detached one-family house - still the most desired model for residential living - is such a type of house. It consumes too much property space. The ratio of living area, surface area 6

and volume is uneconomic and irresponsible from an ecological point of view, especially since maintenance costs and the amount of energy needed will continue to rise. Furthermore, most types are inflexible and require extensive modifications if the occupant structure changes. The detached onefamily house cannot meet the dynamic demands of growing or decreasing numbers of occupants. These developments and tendencies that we all can experience in our immediate environment constitute the motive for this series of books, which originated out of research conducted at the Department of Architecture at the University of Darmstadt. The task of a prospective typological training within the scope of designing residential buildings comes to the fore in this project. Together with our students, we want to develop new building types that take current as well as future developments into consideration. The idea for this series of books about residential building typologies was developed in view of the strong persistency of those involved in housing today: not only students and architects, but also building societies and developers who allegedly know what the" customers" want and try to withstand changing conditions by using proven patterns. In this series of books, the variety of house types is sorted into different categories. The first two volumes cover the courtyard and row house types. Typologies of houses are presented that can be joined on at least two, sometimes three sides, and therefore can grow into relatively dense urban structures. Volumes featuring townhouses and detached houses will follow. Each volume is structured in such a way that the complexity of the types presented - which originate partly from research projects and partly from built examples - increases within the course of the book. The illustrations are largely limited to floor plans, with complementary sections where needed. We abstained from including elevation drawings because in most cases they are typologically irrelevant. The project descriptions are intended to call attention to particularities; also, they point out potential problems (e.g. through a change of orientation). Built examples are therefore illustrated only with regard to their typology; the photos chosen represent the characteristics of the house type in question. Explanations of the structure and comparisons of economics are not included at all. Ecological advantages are pointed out.

7

Typology [Typology is an] approach that isolates the attributes of the architectural coherence, identifies them as characteristics, in order to then compare them with similarly abstracted attributes from other contexts and to define similar-

ities or differences. Since Ouetretnere de Quincy at the latest, the history of architecture has described this kind of approach by the term typology, and understands it as the abstraction of formal attributes into

a principle, called

type, that describes the commonalities of a seriesof different, but historically concrete models. From the beginning, this systematic and abstracted view includes the possibilities of a guideline for action beyond literal imitation ("imitation par principe ") as well as a tool for comparative architectural cri-

ticisrn.'

Sorting perceptions according to certain recurring characteristics and principles is an important element of cognitive process. To derive standards from it and to systematise certain patterns are two principles that not only form the basis of every science but also of the human capability to perceive and communicate. To reduce perceptions to certain recurring patterns, regular geometries or harmonies is a universal principle; therefore, the term typology has a long history in architecture and architectural theory. In this light, typologies in architecture document the changing requirement profiles of certain buildings or spatial systems. There are different typological categories. Typologies on an urban planning level deal with blocks, row or detached houses; building typologies examine residential dwellings, farmhouses, theatres or industrial plants, and floor plan typologies are significantly characterised by the access system. While the room as a functional space with a specific assignment is a relatively constant unit irrespective of its size, the typology of circulation areas correlates individual rooms and, through different floor plans, creates different types such as patio houses, apartment houses providing access to various numbers of flats, houses with exterior corridors, etc. However, a typologically oriented approach or work method begins long before the categorisation of certain types of appearance. " ...The type, a knowledgeable typologist once said, is not invented, not designed, not developed. The type emerges, grows, culminates, decays, flattens. Types are 'organically' concrete. These terms might seem diffuse, might lead in the wrong direction; but they accurately highlight the difference between type and an objective prototype. "2

8

When consulting an encyclopedia". we learn that the term "type" derives from the Greek word "typos" meaning imprint and originally meant the imprint on a coin. Later, the term stood for archetype, antetype, pattern or figure; in fact it referred to both the real figure as well as that of archetypes or ideas existing in the spiritual world. In typological science, the term typology can be understood as a term purely used to classify individuals within a group - as for example in zoology or botany - or on the contrary as a term for an ideal. Hereby, most often a distinction is made between the most frequent average type of one group of items or persons and the ideal type. Since the ancient world, philosophy has understood the idea of type in the sense of a generally characteristic archetypal figure underlying an individual element: Plato understood it as an idea, Aristotle as a shape, the Middle Ages as a being. Typology as the science of type therefore is a scientific description and a classification of a field of items into groups of unitary complexes of characteristics.

In his essay" On Typology" 4 Rafael Moneo gives an overview of the research of typology in architecture. For Moneo, the question of typology shakes the foundation of architecture. The concept of the archetype defines the current architectural object in relation to its origin. Insofar, the typology theory is a theory of the essential, the beginnings of architecture.

Apartment house, Tokyo, Ryue Nishizawa 9

On the one hand, the architectural object forms a self-contained unit, unique and not further reducible; on the other hand, it can be seen as "one among many", building on a few repeating, in principle equal elements. Also, the process that produces architecture is originally based on repeatability, just like any other technical process. Furthermore, our entire way of thinking and seeing is controlled by typological perception patterns that are based on repetitions. Our language as well is structured in such a way that it sorts comparable objects into groupsand thereby systematises them. Ultimately, the entire human structure of perception is based" a priori" on typologies. A type belongs to a group of objects of the same formal structure. To differentiate between types means to sort individual elements of the same structure into a certain group. This sorting process, which at the same time is a thought process, runs on different levels with different degrees of accuracy. Uniqueness originates from the countless possibilities to create relationships between individual typological elements. By using this linking process, architecture is created in the same way it is perceived. The result is a direct inner connection between man and object. At the beginning of the typological examination stands the desire to simplify, reducing shapes to their basic geometries. However, typology relates to much more than to the reduction of formal geometries. The spectrum of typological examination options ranges from construction details to socio-political interrelations. Typological order, therefore, is no singular phenomenon, but rather it characterises the manifold forms of appearance of the built environment. The complex interrelations between individual elements is re-materialised depending on the respective context. The type is not a device to justify mechanical repetition. Typolog ical examinations rather form the framework for a dialectic discourse with in the history of construction, which generates the "new " by transforming the" old." The process of the transformation of a type is the result of changing user requirements, leaps in scale, overlap of different types, a modified context, or other mechanisms. Antoine Ouatrernere de Ouincy' was the first to formulate the idea of a typological architecture at the end of the 18th century. At that time, social and technical innovations called into question the traditional role of architecture. Typologies were perceived by considering the logics of form, the intellect, changing user requ irements and their historical development. During the 19th century, Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand" interpreted typology in 10

the sense of an exemplary prototype. He comprehends the type as a mechanism standing between form and building program. His theory concentrates on composition and arrangement. Durand tries to derive the composition from functional interrelations, and thus wants to overcome the restraints of the traditional form canon. By the end of the century, the Beaux-Arts school further developed this interpretation of the type as a stylistic device. The emergence of architecture schools created an increasing demand for a standardised curriculum. Durand tried to satisfy this requirement with catalogued typologies. Modernity broke the continuity of using typologies. Form, content and meaning in architecture became detached. The exterior appearance of architecture developed into an independent category and the architectural object into a fragment that is unhinged from its context and the historical development process. Modernity rejected anything that, in whatever way, invoked history. Therefore, it dismissed the idea of a type as well. Design was to start from scratch, and the architectural object was to become an industrial product. Recurring elements or manufacturing methods were not conceived typologically, but rather in terms of industrial mass production. However, with Le Corbusier at the latest the contradiction between the architectural artefacton the one hand and the industrial prototype on the other became apparent. Due to the comparison of architecture with industrial production, the typology concept had to be re-interpreted.

Weekend House, Tokyo, Ryue Nishizawa 11

Functionalism with its simple structure of cause and effect sufficed to substantiate architectural operations without having to refer to the historic continuity in form of typologies. Architectural elements were exclusively defined by their use and based on the ideal of machining. However, when trying to explain the formal and structural continuity of the central European city, modernity failed. Because, in this context, designing buildings has to be viewed as a process bound in time. In contrast, the concept of typology can provide an explanation for the continuity on different levels of time and scale by interpreting the city as an organism. This organism is composed of patterns that derive from the amplification of individual cells. This approach, which prevailed during the 1960s, is founded on the complex interrelations between the whole and its components. Various studies of the time proposed a morphological method of analysis. Giulio Arqari', for example, very pragmatically returned to Ouatrerneres' definition. He differentiates between the typological moment and the moment of formal

Brick House, Dublin, FKL Architects 12

definition. According to him, types are generated by the overlap of formal regularities. Fundamental formal commonalities are the source for the relatedness of different buildings. In this sense, type means the inner formal structure of a building. Ernesto Roqers" contrasts this formal meaning of typology with a methodological approach. He argues that architectural knowledge is directly based on the basic assumption of typology. The typological concept categorises individual steps of action and thereby creates the framework for attaining architectural cognition. According to Rogers' theory, the design process begins with the identification of the type, which already comprises the superordinate problem. The subsequent process targets at isolating the problem and at recognising its multifaceted effects. Hereby, the identification of a type is very subjective and varies according to personal perception and ideological background. During the 1970s, Aldo Rossi? created a systematic and complex typological strategy by interrelating morphological typology with a traditional understanding of the term type. The starting point of his considerations was that a type comprises and maintains a certain architectural knowledge. The internal logics of a form represent common architectural knowledge. With this approach he completely separates the concept of type from the concept of function. Thus, a "hallway" can be viewed as a basic type that is not merely defined by its relationship with other elements of the building programme, but also by its discrete quality as a linking element. For Alan Harold Colquhoun 10, typology is the basis of all communication. Understanding and speaking are always founded on existing patterns. Addressing these patterns generates moments of identification between man and location, and man and object, respectively. If typologies are understood as such patterns, they imply certain meanings that are intuitively understood by the observer. The architect, on the other hand, works with these meanings. He creates shapes - shapes that trigger collective memories - to form a complex statement. By doing this, he bases his architecture on a certain ideological background. According to this approach, the creation of architecture itself implies typological ideas. To create architecture is to communicate meanings through typological ideas. Therefore, architecture as a discipline of conventions always relates to its own history, to existing patterns.

13

In the 1980s, typology was understood more as an instrument. The brothers Leon and Rob Krier!', for example, included typological aspects in their different urban visions. They related to the strong continuity of the architectural element. In this context, the typological concept in question was understood as an instrument of composition that serves to produce images. A somewhat romantic reference to historical types of architecture and urban design formally satisfies the longing for continuity in times where real continuity seems no longer possible. The emphasis in the approach of Robert Venturi" lies in the aspect of communication. In his architecture, Venturi uses the external, typologically defined form of appearance as a means of communication - the language of architecture - and contrasts it with an independent internal structure. With this strategy, the inner logic of the typological thought is irrelevant. Every element becomes a self-contained object. The unity of form, content and meaning is lost. In contrast, Rossi's approach mentioned above seems to maintain the inner logic of the type even though his way of combining individual types with each other is provocative. Just by contrasting oppositional types, he evokes the knowledge of their evolutionary history. Thus, Rossi's approach stands for continuity without having to cite the formal structures of individual types. From Rafael Moneo's summary as well as from the overview provided herein, we can conclude that the concept of typology does not only stand in a functional context. It is comparable to a common archaic language that forms the basis of architecture and reaches far beyond hierarchic categorisation. The individual type is more than a sheer materialisation of a certain requirement profile. In architecture, the type is a kind of container for knowledge that, through its internal logic, harmonises form, content and meaning and represents it on different levels of order. Today more than ever, residential architecture is bound in a chain of complex processes. None of these processes is isolated from the others. On the contrary, there are numerous value systems within a broad network of interdependencies. But it seems that all instruments to conceptually solve these complex dependencies have been lost. Directly tying in with historical types is as futile as trying to develop new types out of nothing. One sensible and promising approach could be to use the examination of typo-

14

logies as a platform on which the dependencies between occupants, culture, social environment and topography could be and would need to be re-established. A comprehensive systems theory in a cybernetic sense (see the introduction in vol. 2, "Row houses") could be the key for a modern definition of living, balancing form, content and meaning in a dynamic equilibrium and relating them to a constantly and ever-faster changing context.

15

Group of houses" Kleine Rieteiland", Amsterdam, Bosch Architects 16

1 Lack, Peter, Bruno Reichlins gebaute Architekturkritik, VDG Verlag and database for humanities, Weimar 1995, 2nd authorative ed., p. 93 f. 2 Teut, Anna, "Von Typen und Normen, MaBreglern und MaBregelungen", in: Architektur und technisches Denken, Daidalos no.18, Dec 15, 1985, p. 53. 3 Meyers Enzyklopadisches Lexikon in 25 vols., 9th ed.. Mannheim 1979. 4 Moneo, Rafael, "On Typology", in: Oppositions, 1978, no. 13, pp. 23-45. 5 Quincy, Ouatrernere de, Encyclopedie methodioue d'Architecture, Paris 1825. 6 Durand, Jean-Nicolas-Louis, Precis des lecons d'architecture donnees

a /'Ecole Royale Poly-

technique, Paris 1817-1819. Partie graphique des Cours d'Architecture, Paris 1821, reprint in 1 vol., Nbrdlingen 1985. Durand, Jean-Nicolas-Louis, AbriB der Vorlesungen iibe: Baukunst gehalten an der koniglichen polytechnischen Schule zu Paris, 2 vols., Karlsruhe 1831. Durand, Jean-Nicolas-Louis, Legrand, J. G., Recueil et Parallele des Edifices en tout genre, anciens et modernes, remarquable par leur Beeute, par leur Grandeur ou par leur Singularite. Essai sur I'Histoire generale de l'Architecture. reprint of the ed.. Brussels (no year) and Liege 1842, Nbrdlingen 1986. 7 Argan, Giulio Carlo, "On the Typology of Architecture," in: Architectural Design, no. 12, 1963, pp. 561-562. 8 Rogers, Ernesto, "The Problem of Building within an Existing Environment," in: Zodiac, no. 3,1990, pp. 8-11. 9 Rossi, Aldo, The Architecture of the City, reprint edition, Cambridge (MA) 1984. Rossi, Aldo, Das Konzept des Typus, in: Arch-, no. 37, 1978, p. 39 ff. 10 Colquhoun, Alan Harold and Kenneth Frampton, Essays in Architectural Criticism. Modern Architecture and Historical Change, Cambridge (MA) 1985. Colquhoun, Alan Harold, Modernity and the Classical Tradition. Architectural Essays 1980-1987, Cambridge (MA) 1989. 11 Krier, Leon, Houses, Palaces, Cities, London 1995. Krier, Leon, Choice or Fate, London 1998. Krier, Rob, M. Graves, H. Ibelings, H. Bodenschatz, P. Meuser, Town Spaces, Basel, Berlin, Boston 2003. Krier, Rob, Architecture and Urban Design, London 1993. 12 Venturi, Robert, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, New York 2002 (2nd edition).

17

The principle of combination Today in Central Europe, the courtya rd house as a type is far less common than it was dur ing the time preceding the industrial revolution . Particularly in rural areas, the German Hofreite (shared courtyard house) was a house type that comb ined living and working under one roof. The farmhouse faced the street and featured a large gateway that lead to the farmyard . The farmyard was surrounded by a barn, a stable and possibly a servant's house. These buildings were either densely grouped or arranged more generously, depending on the owner's income. The estates were closely joined to each other on relatively small lots within medieval city walls. This lead to a very homogenous cityscape with clearly defined public and private zones, picturesque alleys, and inti mate squares. Nowadays, the image of ideal living is based on other role models . The detached residential house represents a long ing for autonomy and privacy. In considerat ion of this trend, the courtyard house, characterised by its introverted nature , could experience a renaissance. The courtyard as a secluded open space is the central element that is also ut ilised to provide daylight and vent ilation . The courtyard type carries potential to solve many of the problems currently related to housing. First of all, th is type allows for very dense urban developments since it can be linked to other units on three sides. As a consequence, the courtyard house type requires very little surface area, resulting in many energy advantages. Moreover, the courtyard can be used as an "energy garden" that comprises glazed surfaces in combination with storage walls oriented towards the sun, thereby realising energy gains and creating transparent living spaces . The quality of add ing onto this house type on three sides also allows for linking different units with each other so that growing or shrink ing modules can be realised w ith minimal constructional effort. One prerequisite is that these mod ifications have been structurally provided for in the floor plan. This means that circulation and layout are designed such that several rooms can be joined to a unit by simply creating a wall opening or by cutting off a small hallway. This degree of flexibility entails turn ing away from the ideal of a self-conta ined dwelling in favour of open structures that are no longer bound to property lines. In th is context, current legislature needs to be reassessed since existing building regulations as well as static ownership structures with title registrations often hinder building across more than one lot. Technical

18

" Haus X ", Nuremberg, Netzwerkarchitekten

solutions for preventive fire protection and billing of energy consumption have long been available. The key factors are proper proportions and orientation of the courtyard, because in extreme cases this typological element is the only source of daylight. Therefore, it is mandatory to examine whether sufficient daylight enters the bu ilding . This should be done by calculating the angle of incidence of sunlight during all seasons, particulary when working with multi-storey buildings. With regard to t he differen t angles of incidence in the morn ing, at noon and in the evening, a rectangular shape on an east-west oriented longitudinal axis has proven to be advantageous. Orientation and building heights within the urban context need to be examined as well. The intimate character of the courtyards can be enhanced to match the growing demand for privacy. The possibility to include more than one courtyard allows for a differentiation of courtya rds solely providing daylight, recreational courtyards w ith green areas, "energy yards" , and access yards, each affording differ ent degrees of openness . When considering all of the qualities the courtyard house type offers, this type seems to be an extremely viable concept for future applications. The variants presented in the following are to highlight its potential for development and encourage the reader to create new variants.

19

Floor plan types The different possibilities for arranging floor plans within the courtyard house type are primarily determ ined by the position and the proportion of the courtyard. As it is the determining factor for exposure to daylight of the rooms within the house, all other parameters such as access, zoning of the floor plan and orientation playa subordinate role.

Garden courtyard house

EJ

This house type isorganised around an enclosed garden courtyard . Due to its enclosure on four sides, the open space has a very intimate character. As this house type can be attached to neighbouring units on three sides it is ideally suited for dense urban housing development structures.

Shared courtyard house The sha red courtya rd house consists of several building volumes which, due to their specific arrangement, create a courtyard. Historically, the shared courtyard house type has its origins in farms located in.a municipal area enclosed by city walls. These farms used to accommodate a stable, barn, servants' and main house on a confined lot.

L-shaped house The L-shaped floor plan offers maximum daylight exposure and economical use of space. However, the organisation of the floor plan proves difficult when options for attaching neighbouring units are to be provided on several sides of the house.

Groupe of L-shaped houses A group of L-shaped houses illustrates the potential of the L-shaped house type w ithin a housing development structure. Intelligent floor plan zoning in termsof orientation and staggering of levels can create very efficient housing development structures. 20

Patio house The patio house type utilises several small courtyards cut out of the building volume to naturally light the floor space with the additional benefit of creating interesting spatial relationships. Individual patios can be arranged on different levels. In combination with courtyards, this allows for highly versatile floor plans.

Atrium-type house The atrium-type house is derived from the dwelling type of the classical Greek and Roman antiquity. Contrary to the patio house in which one or more courtyards can be arranged in different locations within the floor plan, the courtyard of the atrium-type house is the spatial centre of the house. The inner courtyard also serves as a circulation zone, recreational space and access zone to adjacent rooms

21

B Garden courtyard house Single storey North-south orientation

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This large lot is completely enclosed by exterior walls. Three differently sized courtyards structure the generous floor plan. The entry yard to the north provides access to the house and a small studio apartment, which can also be accessed via the garage. The personal rooms face south and adjoin an inner courtyard allowing a discrete access to

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the circulation area and the living room

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the south. Cloakroom and guest toilet

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are accommodated within the generously dimensioned circulation areas of this house type. Spaces merge on one level; different floor or ceiling heights are not to be found within the house. The large south-facing courtyard features a swimming pool. Secondary

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rooms for the swimming pool form the exterior wall on the south side. The

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different proportions of the rooms and courtyards, which provide the overall building with a rhythmic and intriguing structure, should be noted.

Group of houses" Matosinhos" Matosinhos, 1999 Eduardo Souto de Moura

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23

B Garden courtyard house Single storey East-west orientation

This linear courtyard house with an overall length of 38 metre and a 14

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courtyards to solve unfavourable contextual situations. Internally, the elong-

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ated spatial arrangement combined

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with staggered levels and daylight from above creates an exciting spatial continuum. The house is accessed from the west via a front garden and a generous vestibule providing views into the ob-

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long inner courtyard to the north. A

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sky-lit corridor leads to the dining and

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the enclosed courtyard on the east

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ditional daylight through a skylight. The two large personal rooms share one

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El Garden courtyard house Single storey North-south orientation

This two-courtyard house is accessed from the west via a narrow corridor that opens up towards the inner courtyard and the dining area. The courtyard

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provides natural light for the two personal rooms, the dining area and the

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kitchen. Another large east-facing courtyard, enclosed by walls on all sides, affords air and light for the living room

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and the master bedroom. The personal rooms near the entrance divide this house type into an active and a passive zone. There is only one bathroom located near the entrance. Additional access to the spacious courtyard is

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accomplished by a small change of level on the ground level. The partial basement can be accessed from the inner courtyard via an exterior staircase. This house type can be arranged

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with either a west or south orientation.

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Due to the simplicity of the floor plan,

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construction costs can be expected to be low.

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Detached house Krems, 1998 Ernst Linsberger

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26

El Garden courtyard house Single storey North-south orientation

This courtyard house type is an example of an economic layout and daylighting of a simple, single-storey residential building with an inner courtyard. The entrance's location in a deep recess enables separate access to the four personal rooms along a hallway. Two personal rooms are oriented towards the exterior, two towards the inner courtyard, which also provides daylight for the dining area and the open kitchenette. The room connecting the exterior with the kitchen can be used as a secondary or storage room and replaces the basement. The large living room with its pronounced longitudinal orientation opens up widely towards the exterior; however, towards the inner courtyard it opens only at the end of the room. The spatial arrangement and the unusual layout of this room make for differentiated options of use beyond that of a living room; it could also be used as a work space, for example. This house type can be oriented south or north.

Group of houses" Amstelveenseweg" Amsterdam, 1998 Claus en Kaan

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EJ Garden courtyard house Single storey North-south orientation

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These very generously dimensioned courtyard houses are lined up at the entrance to a residential development. The strictly south-facing houses are encompassed by a quarry stone wall featuring only one opening on the north side for access. This wal l runs along the entire length of the house and leads to a double garage, which

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defines the entrance located next to a courtyard on the west side. The entrance leads directly into the kitchen area; there is no air trap or hallway.

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Four personal rooms, arranged along a continuous hallway, can be accessed from here. The closed-off side of the hallway comprises built- in cupboards along the length of the house, which receive daylight through accompanying skylights that make f or an expressive light. The rooms are complemented by t hree bathrooms with bathtub and to i-

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let. Al l rooms feature storey-high and lintel-free contin uous sliding glass walls opening up to the inner courtyard that

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features a swimming pool surrounded by a green lawn.

Group of houses "Quinta da Barca ' t Casa da Marina, 1997 Joao Alvaro Rocha Ground floor 30

B Garden courtyard house Single storey East-west orientation

The floor plan of this single storey shared courtyard house type is perforated by four courtyards. The entry yard provides direct access to the openplan living room, which features niches serving as secondary rooms. Personal rooms are positioned on the long side I I

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of the space. For better daylighting

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Longitudinal section

they are arranged six steps higher than the living room. Bathrooms are located adjacent to the personal rooms. They are organised on the axis of the small patios providing daylight and ventilation. A large courtyard is to be found at the end of the elongated living room. This house type can be attached to other units on all sides and linked to

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them. An east-west orientation offers

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the best daylight conditions for this

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type of house. The large roof area is

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