Affordable Housing

Answered attempted by Felicity Passmore_4055473A studio with Prof. Kalvelage

How to create Affordable Housing on one of the most desirable plots of land left in Berlin?

Key Words

requires a balancea definition.

Water is transparent, colourless, odourless and tasteless.but we describe it in its hardness, depth, temperature and cleaniness.

but it is all in the same system.

Affordable housing and water has

There is compromiseafforadbility in the sense financially, socially and environementally.

Case Studies

Streets and voids in the failing

Alison and peters smithsons brutalist east london social housing project from the 1970s, has now much divided opinion and has been banned from being listed to let fate take its’ course. Suffering from neglect and the impact of mis-care for social housing and positioned in a raw area on the edge of the docklands and tower hamlets, one of the poorest boroughs of London, it is often cited for it’s streets in the sky which were not quite successful enough. Their outlook on to main dual carrigaways and access via a security door and elevator, leave them in a funny position between public and private. Internally of the buildings the mound, constructed from the erasure of the pre-existing terrace housing, was initially laid with grass, impregnanting the void. Its’ visual access from all apartments, entering the space the unaccesible air in the sky. Its’ interaction physicaly is not so successful, not in proximity to the streets in the sky and requring movement to the end of the building to the access shaft. Later on its lack of success was related to the power and untangibility of it, and was sprinkled with trees and benches and steps were introduced to ascend its side. Seemingly like a treatment of acu-puncture that actually lead to its death. Its’ un-natural form and position electifies the space in a way which a regular scatter-ing of trees and bins is unable to do. Once the natural ‘forms’ enter the city they must take on a totally new form which relates to the surrounding architecture. The external artificial environment is thus one of an extremelly important designs in the success of the buidings.

of Robin Hood Gardens.

Peter and Alison Smithsons

The Smithsons ‘scale of association’ is an scale of inclusivness of human association and the relationship of this scale to the scale of the house, street, district and city. On the scale of the house or street our association to those neighbours and aquaintances are not done conciously, they are those that live within close proximity to us, and we share little with them. Whereas on the scale of the city we associate with others with whom we choose for their like minds and ide-als. This diagram they produced when they were members of team 10, relates to the Robin Hood Gardens. Especially in this type of affordable housing, in which tenants were placed here by the council and did not choose to live in this location, make sense. How can this diagram be adapted to work for the associations within my program, and the ‘village’ surrounding the Eliza-bethKirchen? Where does the idea of blocks fit in? Where are we voluntary making associations and where not?

scale of association.

Stairs and patios and their

Rowley way constrcuted by Neave Brown in the london authority architecture office, was part of the larger alexandria estate in Camden, it was a hugely expensive social housing project but has created a succesful and desirable place to live even until now. First being rented social housing during the 80’s some of the units were sold of as part of a government scheme to allow council residents to buy and own their homes. Based very much on the townhouse aesthetic of london, each unit has its own access from the public pedestrian street. balconies and private terraces allow the individual units to enter the public street sphere. The proximity of one house-holds outside to anothers allow sounds and activities to drift into the surrounding apartments. The visual barriers sometimes erected on the balconies to provide the desired privacy.

role in individual identity.

Internal layout plans of Rowley

Way and Robin Hood Gardens

Analysis

On the elisabethkirchen islandprogram spread between

Elizabethkirchen island is unlike the surrounding blocks with sprawling miete houses surround-ed an internal semi-public courtyard. On the east side is Schinkels Elisabethkirchen (f 1.1-1.3)which currently operates a public programme of temporary programances and exhibtions. In the north of the block is Elizabethkitchen Kindergarten (f 1.5 and 1.10) with it’s new extension. Then there is a schinkel concert hall and office space in the two buildings to the south of the kindergarten (fig 1.9). Twenty years ago vegetation had consumed the block and it’s structures, which have been reclaimed as public common spaces. Now the only ‘wild’ piece is left without a program. This area shaded with trees to the south, meets two blank walls on its east side whcih are split by a vertical cut of a few metres in width. (fig 1.7-1.8) This split is the only visual link between the east and west sides of the block. The public nature of the block could benefit from this corner becoming opened to both the street and the east half of the block. Tucked into the centre of the unprogrammed space is a small wedge shaped community park (fig 1.6-1.7). It relates to the kindergarten and their is local access from their play area into the park. It position also keeps a clear opening in front of the kindergarten and leaves open views out of the glazed facade, which tend to overheat. Two gated entrances lead to the park from elisabethkirch-strasse, a quiet cobbled street. From the gates there runs a set of parallel paths, that run deeper and deeper into the park. At it’s widest in the north there is open green space, which changes to concreted games area in the middle and at it’s tip into an intimate shady picnic area. Within the current fertile dyanmic of the neighbourhood it functions as an ideal program, for children to play. The current site would therefore provide a program that provides nothing more than local access into the park from the rear of the houses. Whilst the scale and density pays attention to the different atmospheres that are present in the park.

there is a collection of publicfragmented spaces.

A photographic tourit’s gaps, trees, paths

fig 2.6 kindergarten park fig 2.7 cut from east side

fig 2.1 schinkel church 1835

fig 2.8 cut from west side

fig 2.2 schinkel church 1991

of elizabethkirchen island and relationships.

fig 2.3 schinkel church today fig 2.4 corner of elizabthkitchenstrasse fig 2.5 kindergarten

fig 2.9 street between schinkel fig 2.10 kindergarten entrance

Prenzlauerberg as a dynamicsustainable

fertile neighbourhood full ofdesire.

There is a certain dynamic discussed in Prenzlauerberg, the first area of gentrification outside of Mitte. These voids have either seen themselves developed into new apartment buildings or claimed by the inhabitants as open public spaces. Prenzlauerberg to have a generous amount of common space in these voids which increases its promise. There are more children here than anyway else in Berlin and there are some successful neighburhood villages centered around parks, that have been laid to turf through community articulation. The Schninkel church next door has been ‘fixed’ to provide another common space but this time indoors for the neighbour-hood to claim. This power was also used to clean up the Volkspark Weinbergs in 2005 where it had degraded from the 1950s and become a well-known for drug dealing. It has also lead to new housing typologies that are not commited to the mietehaus and courtyard situation. This has only been possible through the strong desires of the inhabitants of this area and their ability to articulate themselves within the planning process. Families living here are likely to contain young professionals who have come here from else where in Germany, Europe and the World. Importantly, there is a concious effort amongst them to live to this world sustainbly under aware-ness and social pressure. This dynamic of willing families to embrace a lifestyle in which we live sustainbly could be a potential untapped source for development of mainstream sustainable domestic/lifestyle technology and design. An urban real life labortory for products that attempt to change the way the we use this world.

fig 3.1 stalls at mauerpark flohmarket fig 3.2 volkspark weinberg

fig 3.5 townhouses in the walls void fig 3.6 new apartment in void

A photographic tourcongregation, voids and

fig 3.3 mauerpark on sundays fig 3.4 strelitzerstrasse

fig 3.7 chapel in rammed earth fig 3.8 taut housing fig 3.9 mietskaserne

of Prenzlauerbergtypology.

Program

An urban laboratory to testand for

habit in sustainble technologyurban systems.

Sustainble living has to become the everyday, to be habit. It is common knowledge now that our urban living in ‘developed’ regions of the world is much less than sustainable. It is not so common knowledge how to do this. In 2007 the UN created a publication entitled, ‘Sustainable consumption and production, promoting climate friendly household consumption patterns.’ It involves us making habit a way of life where we fairly use the earths resoucres and our own resources without compromising for our future generations. This involves the development of appropriate technology that encompases social, environmental and economic factors. Tech-nologies that sustainable manage energy, water, waste, transportation, building, bio-diversity, population,climate change through materials and machinery. Rather than regressing into a state of self containment and in a way denial, it must be integrated into our urban situations. It makes sense that these new technologies must be given a fair chance and need to be tested in real life sitatutions, and gather feedback from the consumers.

36.8 toilet flushing

baths and showers

other

clothes washing

dishwashing

wash basin121 current average

UN target

50

3.4

6.9

6.9

10.3

16.1

34.5

20

cooking and drinking

6L flushing toilet twice a day1.9L one minute running the tap4.36L four minute showerwashing machine load every 10 days

20 >

(but we can use the water twice)

A programwater use

of frugal a UN target.

Taking one area of sustainble developement water. Currently the daily domestic water use in germany is approximately 121 litres. The UN has stated that the only way to use our fresh-water sustainably in a fair world is for each individual to use 20 - 50 litres in the domestic situation a day. It should be possible that with the existing water system in Berlin that this is entirely possible. This can be achieved through the use of appliances and fittings that reduce our use drastically. But also through the control of how much water each individual uses. However our water footprint is actually much larger than this. It is estimated that only 4 -5 % of our water footprint is used within our daily domestic setting, so 2420l litres. This is embod-ied within the production and processing of the food we eat and the clothes we buy. Seeing Prezlauerberg as a neighbourhood that is already experiencing gentrification and a hight-ened awareness of climatic issues, it seems a fertile field in which to experiement with this situation.

Aerator 1.9 L/mToilet 3.7 L/flush

Shower Head 1.9 L/m

Washing Machine 50 L/load

Most efficent appliancesthey look the same as the

on the marketmost inefficent appliances.

There is extensive developments in technology on domestic products that can enhance our lifestyles and allow us to use less resources as many people want to do. This technology must be tested before it is mass produced, for obvious reasons of manufactering, economy and human use. It is only through placing these products in a real life situation that we can see if they are able they will function and whether they are suitable products. It is known that people are sometimes unwilling to take new technology into their homes, we are obviously cautious of how it will affect/take over our lives. Technological appliances that are on a mass market are of new technology but of an identical look to lower resource efficency models. Is it possible that in an experimental housing, with open minded willing volunteers these new models can be used and tested. There can be a relationship built between the companies and the residents, forc-ing a closer interaction than through numbers and sales. The active residents, are in an urban labortory. Through the partipation they gain the oppotunity to live in this housing that provides income for the owners not only by the renting of the residents but also by the companies. The development of this technology requires leaning from the consumers. Currently possible by the internet which removes us from a very material nature of sustainable technology which can not be replicate online. It is also difficult to gain real feedback from the consumers.

16 % external footprint is coffee

Domestic 3.4% Agricultural 73.7% Industry 22.8%

Our waterfootprint has a embedded in not just our home

The average Germans virtual waterfootprint

The product with the largest water footprint

global impact that is deeplybut our daily habits.

The amount of water used both directly and indirectly by an individual is termed as our water-footprint. Generally those that live in urban developed situations have water foorprints that have are higher in indirect use than direct use. The average german sees most of his or her water-foorpint spend on agriculture and the production of their food. This could both be water used for agriculture within Germany but also from anywhere in the world. A case is coffee which is the product that makes up the largest part of a german individuals water foorprint. This cof-fee is grown mainly in southern american and is therefore part of germanys huge externalised footprint which covers much of the world. These water intensive products cause depletion and pollution which is an issue when it concerns our global freshwater supply. Germany and other nations that have this large indirect externalied waterfootprint should make this standard data. Consumers in Germany need to have more information and transparency on the impact of their habits of the scarce global resource. Therefore this urban labortory has another less physical role to play in the nations water strategy. In the mindsets and daily habits of the country as a whole.

Design

Cracking the flexible in the

and multiple mietehausdesign strategy.

The majority of housing in the area is situated in the Miethaus which is fairly successful in ad-pating to our changing habits over time. It also has is a unit which contains 6 to 12 flats spread over 4 or 5 floors all accesible from the same stairwell. Relating back to the Smithsons scale of association I think that this number of units work successfully in bringing together the right amount of strangers into shared proximity and resources. They share inconveniences such as when the water is turned off for matinence which can generate colloborative moaning which is turn brings them closer together. However there is a very closed situation in the miethaus and it has minimal engagement with the street. The plot of land on elizabethkirchen island has a form which is not in form with the other plots containing the courtyard miethaus. To generate a second street that runs parallel to the main road that can in effect be also the access to all the aparments and provide their front entrances direct to this external environment. They are col-lected together in groups of 8 - 12 units which are situated on both sides of the street. The rear of the buildings is more closed but provides a variety of openings, that can allow a comfortable climate to be generated in the interior. Also providing small step out balconies that can allow visual access to either ackerstrasse or the small park. The form generates a wall towards to the park which excentuates this safe envrionment and young children to play here with more inde-pendence. The houses open up to the water tower, whcih is a partially functional and partially a physical sitation that can generate an environement which provides water discourse on the levels from the mechanical, the technical, the everyday, the environmental and the national. The design deals with the experimental nature of the adaptive water systems being tested and the open access of the housing allows this to function with minimal impact on the humans of the architecture.

Sketches

Design development with 1.500 card models.

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Ground floor plan at

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and sections1.1000.

Storytelling

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section at 1.250.

Frugal split floor apartments

88 units ranging from 42 to 59 sq/mts.Flexible internal spaces.

and the Water Tower.

Spaces premeability adapting to differingdiscourse levels.

Scientific

National

Environmental

Everyday

Tecnological

1.500 Model spatial context.

This project currently answers to a program of intent, but is not too concerned with the specif-ics of technology. This is however something that we are unable to predict and in a sense is where the program sprouts from. The form responds in a very solid format and there is a lack in model format of this fluidity and change. The topic of water has consumed the program , project and semester. As a global resouce it is scarce and it is our developed urban lifestyles that are causing this. This can only increase as the urban population continues to grow and our habits become more water demanding. I think that only through engaging with technological solutions that are local and specific to the individual habit, the city system, the regions climate, and the nations consumption this able to be managed sustainably.

In 1992 the term for ‘carbon footprint’ was first used, in 2002 the term ‘water footprint’ was used, now in 2012 is there are a new global consumption standard soon to emerge?

An urban laboratory into the future.