weissen h of
TRANSCRIPT
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This essey is about the five rowhouses
that Jacobus Johannes Pieter Oud
ade in 1927 for the Weisenhof exhi-
bition. It is impossible to undertand
the rowhouses and Ouds intetions
without knowing a few things about
ow the society and situation was
in the 1920s. This is why the essay
starts by telling you about the periodfter the first world war, the group of
rtists and architects that called them
self De Stijl, the Weissenhof estate and
the architects own thoughts.
After writing about the circumstances
nd the houses, I would like to tell
you about my own oppinions and how
Ouds work could be used in the
present and in the future.
I have chosen to write about the
circumstances and the houses and not
the ineterior. I have done this because
I dont find the interior very impor-
tent for further use of this essey.
After Word War 1
e per o a ter Wor War 1 was o-
m nte y n at on an poor economy.
Even if the cities had a bad economy
they didnt stop been optimistic and
e ve n growt . T e wor as t was
nown starte to c ange n g spee .
e new tec n ques an new n s o
construction and buildingstypes, that ap-peared around 1890s, became a bigger
part of the citylandscape. New kinds of
u s ness e an s, ma s, ncurence-
compan es an c ot stores were seen
n the cities. All of which had different
needs.(Teverne al, 2001).
In t e per o e a ter Wor War 1 many
peop e starte to wr te a out t e r
nterests an eas. T s was t e start
of a massmedia periode were almost
everybody had the opportunity to write
something and have it publiced in a
magaz ne. Warnc e, 1991 . T s m g t
e t e reason w y t e art pa nt ng,
sculpture and architecture) were spread-
ng in all sorts of brands of modern art.
Some examp es are t e cu sme, unc-
tionalisme, rationalisme and futurisme .
All theese ideas could easily be publiced
and distributed. (Teverne al, 2001).
T e Arts & Cra ts movement was strong
n t e per o a ter t e rst Wor War.
Morris and the brittain followers didnt
want to include the industry in their de-signs and vision of art and architecture,
ut t s was a out to c ange. T e Arts
& Cra ts movement was turn ng nto an
movement only for the upper class that
could afford the handmade things. The
germans and dutch artists and architects
e mem ers o t e Mo ern Move-
ment, Bau aus, De St wante to n-
c u e an coopperate w t t e n ustry.
(Joedicke, 1989). They had different
approches, but they were facing (...) up
to the challange of a technical age and
to compre en tec no ogy as a means o
creating a pro un y socia arc itecture
(Joedicke, 1989, pg 19). Rationalime
was a keyword, maximum effect with a
minimum of means. (Joedicke, 1989).
5 rowhouses by J.J.P. Oud in Weissenhof
e sout aca e Goog e eart
r en y: ar anne an mar
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De Stijl
De Stijl was the name of the magazine
where J.J.P. Oud publiced some of his
art c es. It was oun e n t e Net er-
an s n 1917. T e name s euc an
means T e Sty e. Soon t e wor an
movement of the arcitects and artists
who were assosiated with the maga-
zine was given the same name. It was
not a un orm movement. T ey ntave meet ngs or as c ru es. T e St
became a forum where the members
could have discussions and evaluate
each others work. Many of the members
never actua y met an t ere were a ot
o sagreement n t e group. Overy,
1991 . Mon r an e nes t as: ... it
was to be an expression of a new, ideal
world (Warncke, 1991, pg 60). De Stijl
t es t e erent ran s o art toget er
an creates a com ne anguage, even
t e ran s are very erent rom
each other. The magazine became a
platform for discussions of rationalistic
and abstract art. It influenced beyond the
nat ona or eres an were rea y art-
sts o erent art st c sty es. Warnc e,
1991).
The caracteristics of de Stijl was art with
s mp e, as c geometr c components
t at create a compos t on t at was
un e . Ort ogona nes an s apes
were almost never used. They mainly
used vertically and horizontally linesand shapes. The colour scheme was red,
ue, ye ow, w te, ac an grey. T s
was use even n t e sma est eta s.
(Overy, 1991).
The typical caracteristic of De Stijl
arc tecture was: ... asymmetrica ,
geometric, at-roo e , painte in w ite
og ig t greys, wit accents in primary
colours (Overy, 1991, pg 103). Even if
this was the caracteristic of the archi-
tecture there was only a few buildingt at a a t e qua t es. Somet mes, or
examp e, p c e roo tops cou e u t.
(Overy, 1991).
De Weissenhofsiedlung
In 1925 the muncipality of Stuttgart
desided that they would like to make an
ex t on o t e new n o arc tec-
ture t at was start ng to emerge. T e
preparat on raw ngs an u ngs o
the International architectural exhibi-
tion was a short peridod; 30th march
1925 to 23th July 1927. The architects
ocuse on t e construct on o t e u -ngs an t e r eas o new arc tecture.
During this time there was built 21
separate projects for 63 dwellings, by
17 architects and 55 interior design-
ers. Warnc e, 1991 . In t e eg nn ng
t e we ngs s ou e u t or arge
am es, ut t c ange to e we ngs
for the educated middle class. (Teverne
al, 2001).
T e purpose o t e ex t on was to
s ow t at t e we ngs were a ...
part of a muncipal construction pro-
gramme as a vehicle to demonstrate
the concepts of the German Werkbund
in this sector (Joedicke, 1989, pg 7).
Weissenhof was ment to be an demon-
stration and experiment of models for
nnovat ons n t e e s o tec no ogy,
construct on an arc tecture. It s ou
s ow erent typo og es, pr ns pps an
technics for serialproduction of row-
houses. The architects emperimented
w t new mater a s, construct onsystems
an met o s. E cent y was a so oneey wor , ot n ayout an n es gn.
In this exhibition there was high expec-
tations since so many known architects
would participate, like Le Corbusier,
M es van er Ro e an Grop us. Te-
verne a , 2001 .
There was one conflict with Weissenhof,
how could it be an exhibition and func-
t on as norma ous ng a ter t e ex -
t on was over? A ot o t e u ngs was
not ma e or t e wor ngc ass, ut more
for the upperclass. Many buildings was
far way from a normal house. (Joedicke,
1989).
Weissenhof, in 1927(Joedicke, 1989)
eissenhof, in 1987 (Joedicke, 1989)Site model (my own, 2009)
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J.J.P. Oud
He was one of the few architects who
designed a house in Weissenhof that
cou e ca e a norma ouse. May e
t s s connecte to t e act t at Ou
a een wor ng on soc a ous ng n
Rotterdam. (Overy, 1991). Oud did not
agree with Le Corbusier that the men
were a machine and the houses were
mac nes to ve n. He ment t at ewas t e start ng-po nt an t was s o
Axiometric of the rowhouses in Weissenhof, out of scale (Teverne al, 2001)
to translate it into a disciplined form.
(Teverne al, 2001).
One o t e t ngs Ou a aga nst Le
Cor us er, an some o t e ot er arc -
tects, was t at t ey wrote man estos
and thereby made the houses and the
peoples lifes abstract and not human.
Oud did not want to write manifestos
ecause e e ve t at : ... Arc itec-ure is art w ic arises spontaneous y
from life and would only freeze up in
propagandist manifestos and too strictly
organized associations; life presents
tse concret y in t e assignment, not
n a stract po itico-socia scenarios;
esign oes not o ow unction, ut is
a valuable and autonomous aspect in
he design process (...), the design is
produced by the interaction of form and
unction. Teverne a , 2001, pg 41 .
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Rowhouses in Weissenhof
At first Oud got two assignments in
Weissenhof, one single family villa and
4 row ouses or wor ers. He proteste
an was a owe to u 5 row ouses
nstea . Teverne a , 2001 . Ou wante
to make a() small dwelling as a
synthesis of new materials, construc-
ion methods and form, guided by the
princip es o simp icity, e ciency anunctiona ity Teverne a , 2001, pg
292). Theese rowhouses were ment to
show one typology of rowhouses that
could be repited. Since the rowhouses
n We ssen o on y s ow one row, t
oesnt s ow w at Ou a n s m n
a out t eese ouses. He wante to
repeat the row of houses, so one rows
gardens met the next rows kitchen yard.
Teverne a , 2001 .
As a part o t e ass gment t e ve
houses have the same layout and size.
It should be a continuous row of houses
who were simple, but good-looking.
T e w t per un t s 5,6 meters. K rsc ,
1989 . T e s te or eac ouse, nc u e
the garden and courtyard, is approx.
22,5 x 5,6 meters. The garden is approx.
11 x 5,6 meters and the courtyard is
approx. 3 x 3 meters. T e ouses ave
t ree storeys, t e two you can see an
t e ce ar t at s un erneat t e groun .
The hight of the building, above the
ground, is approx 6 meters. The exten-tion in north, with the utility rooms is
on y 4,5 meters g an 2,35 meters
w e. K rsc , 1989, an Teverne a ,
2001).
The rowhouses is built with concrete.
He use t e Kosse system, w c was
a a r y new met o n t e 1920s. T e
Kosse system a owe t e u ng to
be built as a monolitic system. First they
built the formwork and then they pured
concrete into the form. This allowedt em to u t e wa s as one p ece. For
t e non- ear ng wa s t e process con-
sists of aggregates that are bound with
a small portion of cement. This system
results in light porous walls, with good
eat- nsu at on an t was poss e to put
na s nto t. T e oa ear ng wa s an
t e oun at ons are ma e w t grave -
based concrete. The windows and the
door frames are made of iron, the roof is
made of Ruberiod and the doors are in
p ywoo . K rsc , 1989 .
South facade (Google Earth)
North facade (Google Earth)
View towards north (Joedicke, 1989)
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Oud designed the houses so that they
have two entrences, on through the
courtyard in the north and one through
t e gar en n t e sout . T e entrences
was es gne to e equa , ut w t -
erent unct ons. T e entrence t roug
the courtyard was ment to be the
entrence for deliveries of groceries and
coal, together with the bicycles, garbage,
an t e c ot ne. T e courtyar wasment to e a p ace or wor , not to e a
garden. The south side of the building
have a garden were the visitors and resi-
dents could enter the building. Beside
t e entrence oor t ere s a wa ma e o
concrete an a gr . T e two s es o t e
u ng s ows t at t ey are connecte ,
but have very different characters based
on their function. (Kirsch, 1989).
Ou put t e ut ty rooms aun y an
ry ngroom n one extent on to t e
north and the livingrooms to the south.
The utility rooms have a smaller ceilin-
ghight that the other rooms (2,2 meters).
On t e nort s e t ere s a wa w c
s a out 2,2 meters g . Be n t s
wa t ere s a sma courtyar . T ere s
a place to park bicycles at the end of the
extention toward north. It is possible to
enter directly into the laundry and the go
t roug t e tc en an aroun t e sta rse ore you ave reace t e v ngroom
with the other entrence. With this kind
of layout there were no need for a cor-
ridor. (Kirsch, 1989)
Ou use a ong t me to es gn t e
tc en. He a nsp rat on rom r.
Edna Meyer. She wrote the book Der
Naue Haushalt about how the kitchen
an t e ut tyrooms s ou e es gne .
T s oo was ase on w s es rom t e
ousew ves n Stuttgart. T ey suggeste
among other things that a house should
have a food closet and a serving hatch
in the kitchen and a balcony for small
ousewor , n epen ent access to a
e rooms an a to et separtate rom
t e at room. K rsc , 1989 .
The house has a cellar, but only under
the north half of the house. If you go up-
sta rs you wou reac t e ry ng roomw c s at a ower eve t an t e rest
of the rooms on the second level. If you
go four more steps you reach the three
bedrooms, the toilet and the bath. The
to et s separate rom t e at room.
T e at room as t ree oors, one nto
t e sma corr or an t e ot er two
into the two bedroms that lies beside it.
The smalles bedroom has a tiny balcony
were t s poss e to put t e e wear
w e t e rooms are ee ng c eane .
K rsc , 1989 .
Pr ns pp s tep ans an sect on, out o sca e Teverne a , 2001Plans and section, out of scale (Teverne al, 2001)
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North f
K rsc , 1989
Sout
(Kirsch,
P ans 1:
(Kirsch,
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My own thoughts about the houses
I has been interesting to read about
Ou ecause I a ways e ve t at t e
arc tects rom t at per o a t e same
t oug ts an v s on o t e r g t way to
design buildings. After further reading
I discovered that the architect disagreed
then as they do today. The architects of
t e 1920s ocuse on unct on, ut nerent ways. It was nterest ng to rea
about the different approaces to the taks.
Le Corbusier prefered general programs
for his buildings while Oud used life as
a start ngpo nt or t e es gn. Persona y
I pre ere Ou so ut on. I e t e way
t at e researc , w t e p rom Dr.
Edna Meyer, before he started to work
with his design. I dont like Le Cor-
us ers man esto ecause t ma e a
umans equa an genera . T ere s no
room or t e n v ua .
It is not possible to see and interpret
the rowhouses without understanding
t e s tuat on t was u t n. T e ea
e n We ssen o was to present -
ferent typologies of new ways to use
and construct buildings. That is why you
cant interpret the building based on its
ocat on. Ou s row ouses were a sma
part o a utop c ne g our oo t at
cou e p ace anyw ere, as ong as t e
site have non to a small slope and the
buildings are placed in the north-southdirection.
It s nterest ng to use t s typo ogy an
transfer it to buildings that are erected
today. It is probably not possible to use
the excact same construction system,
most y ecause t e regu at ons wou
not approve t. T e nsu at on n t e
u ng snt goo enoug or t e
norwegian environment. This means that
the materials would change a little, but it
would not change the typology.
T e s zes o rooms are a out t e same
that would be used in new buildings,
but there are some strange solutions to
the layout of the rooms. Spesially the
so ut on o av ng one entrence on t e
nort s e w ere you wa t roug t e
aun ry, t e t roug t e tc en, aroun
the stairs and then into the livingroom. I
dont think it is very hygenic to use the
kitchen as a sort of cooridor where you
wa t roug . Spes a y so c ose to t e
rty courtyar . I ont e t e su st -
tute for the corridor because I prefere to
walk from point A to B without all the
twists and turns that are in this layout.
Bes e rom t s t e rst eve s wor -
ing just fine. Perhaps there should be a
bigger livingroom with a big sofa and
a diningtable, so you can have dinner
gests, ut t s not necessary.
T e ry ngroom upsta r wou pro a y
be a waste of space since we now have
tumbeldriers that does part of the drying.
To day the area for drying clothes would
most e y e p ace n t e aun ry. It n t at t e at room on t e secon
level is a problem. The small room (ap-
prox 5 m2), with only a bathtub, is not
very functional. It has three doors that
ta es away ot o wa space w c cou
e use or a s n or a to et. I ont see
t e po nt n separat ng t e at tu or
shower) and the toilet into two different
rooms. I would suggest that the room
w t t e to et s ou e turne so t e
to et ecomes a part o t e at room.
I a so t n t wou e a goo ea to
remove the doors between the bedrooms
and the bathroom. By removing two
doors, replacing the tub with a shower
an a ng a gger s n t e at room
wou seem muc arger. Remov ng t e
doors would also create more wallspace
in the bedrooms.
Ou wante t e row ouses to e e-
ve ope as a g comun ty w t severa
rows o t s ouse. I e t at ea,
especially because he doesnt mirror the
layout of the houses. He let one rowsgarden meet the other rows courtyard. If
e a m rrore t e ayout, t ere wou
e pro ems w t t e rect on o t e
sun and the division of the utilityrooms
from the livingrooms. I belive that by
having the gardens meet the courtyards
t creates a muc more nterest ng street.
Ou s wor can e use as an nsp ra-
tion for architects today. It can not be
used directly, but many of his ideas and
points can be used: row ouses re uces t e cost o t e
u ng
the layout should be based on what
kind of life the tenants have
the construction method can speed up
t e construct on t me an
t e asca s can e use to exp a n t e
unct on o t e rooms e n n a c ar-
acteristic way.
All in all, Oud is an inspiration, which I
can use urt er n my stu es an wor .
The kitchen (Teverne al, 2001)
T e v ngroom Teverne a , 2001
T e v ngroom w t an open ng to t e
tc en Teverne a , 2001
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Sources:
Jrgen Joedicke, Weissenhofsiedlund ,
Kar Krmer Ver ag, Stuttgart, 1989
Kar n K rsc , T e Weissen o -
siedlung , Rizzoli, New York, 1989
Pau Overy, De Stij , T ames an
Hu son, Lon on, 1991
Ed Teverne, Martien de Vletter, Cor
Wagenaar, J.J.P. Oud, Poetic
Functionalist, the comlete works, 1890-
1963 , NA pu s ers, Rotter am, 2001
Carsten-Peter Warncke, The ideal
as Art De Stijl 1917-1931 , Benedict
Taschen Verlage, Kln, 1991
Images:
Same as above
Google earth february 2009
My own p otos Mar anne San mar
Mo e p oto, rst eve
(Sandmark, 2009)
Modelphoto, second level
San mar , 2009
Modelphoto, north facade
(Sandmark, 2009)
Mo e p oto, sout aca e
San mar , 2009
Modelphoto, court yard
San mar , 2009