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

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ISBN: 978-3-7643-7840-0

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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 22
Brick House, FKL Architects 24
Detached house, Ernst Linsberger 26
Group of houses" Amstelveenseweg", Claus en Kaan 28
Group of houses" Quinta da Barca", Joao Alvaro Rocha 30
Student project, Martin Trefon 31
Residential ensemble, Lang + Schwarzler 32
Detached house" Haus X", Netzwerkarchitekten 34
Group of houses" Interreg 2", Motorplan 36
Project" Buchholz Ost". Atelier 5 38
Residential house, MADA s.p.a.m. 39
Student project, Oliver Schaper 40
Student project, Hong Viet Duc 42
Project" BrUnnen Nord", Atelier 5 43
Courtyard house study, Markus Rommel 44
Detached house" Rua do Crasto", Eduardo Souto de Moura 46
Residential house, Patrick Gartmann 48
Student project, Jan Hendrik Hafke 50

Shared courtyard house

Student project, Daniel Lenz 52
Student project, Alexandra Jagiela 54
Student project, Sandra Dolder 56
Student project, Marco Sedat 58
Student project, Beate Heigel 59
Project" Buchholz", Rainer Oefelein 60

L-shaped house
Three studio houses, Becher + Rottkamp 62
System houses, G. A. S. Sahner 64
Project, GUnter Pfeifer 66
Student project, Leon Schmidt 67
Student project, Sebastian Schaal 68
Student project, Simon Gallner 69
Student project, Martin Trefon 70
Student project, Kamilla Patzhold 71

4
Student project, Per Brauneck 72
Student project, Kathrin Ellner 73

Group of L-shaped houses

Group of houses, Roser-Kuhn 74
Group of houses" DammstraBe", Roser-Kuhn 76
Student project, Eva Martini 78

Patio house
Detached house" Casa No Litoral Alentejano", Aires Mateus & Associados 80
Weekend house, Ryue Nishizawa 82
OS House, Nolaster 84
Residences in Minusio, Raffaele Cavadini 86
Detached house, Krischanitz & Frank 88
Student project, Nik Wenzke 90
Student project, Jan Kucera 92
Group of houses" Kleine Rieteiland" , Bosch Architects 94
Apartment house, Ryue Nishizawa 96
Group of houses" Gooimeer", Neutelings Riedij k 98
Group of houses" Liqu id Sky", Pentaplan 100

Atrium-type house
Detached house" Machiya", Kazunari Sakamoto 102
Detached house" FOB Home 1". EO.B.Architects 104
Apartment house, Kazunari Sakamoto 106
Student project, Sebastian Schaal 107
Student project, Sebastian Schaal 108

Bibliography 110

Illustration credits 112

5
 Preface

The way we live is a direct transformation of social structures, politics, religi-

on and topos and, as such, mirrors society. Methods of construction and ma-
terials 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, Amster-
dam, 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 forgot-
ten. 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 pat-
terns 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 situa-
tion 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 ex-
tensive modifications if the occupant structure changes. The detached one-
family house cannot meet the dynamic demands of growing or decreasing
numbers of occupants.

These developments and tendencies that we all can experience in our im-
mediate 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 de-
veloped 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 chang-
ing 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 ty-
pes. 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 pre-
sented - which originate partly from research projects and partly from built
examples - increases within the course of the book. The illustrations are lar-
gely 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 atten-
tion 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.