Haus Hundertacht
In the Haus Hundertacht, space receives its conceptual order in the sequence of steps from the square to the cell, which is motivated by the city. In the building’s vicinity, housing – both detached and in rows – follows the line of the street. The location on a sloping terrain produces terraces along the housing rows that follow the topography. A second order is imposed onto this structure through the design’s axial reference to Haus Clement, which is situated higher up the slope and which requires Haus Hundertacht to shift away slightly from the line of the street. The sister buildings refer to each other as an ensemble. A brickwork forecourt marks the transition from the public space of the street to the area of family living. From the forecourt, a path along the central axis of the building leads to some steps and on to the building’s central living room, which stretches through the entire breadth of the house and is extended by terraces on both sides. The bedrooms are accommodated on both upper floors of the building, which is stepped towards the south west. The stairs continue further up, however: to a studiolo that is reserved for individuals to withdraw to for solitary work. That personal space situated at the end of the walkway is also the smallest unit of the city. The image of the city in the house appears in Haus Hundertacht through the uniform material of brickwork, which stretches from the incision into the urban floor at the forecourt to the inner walkway on the ground floor, on to the central living area and finally to the garden terrace. Secondly, it is reflected in the variation of an “urban square” and the spatial hierarchy. This leads to a more intense perception of the motif: The image of the public square appears in the living space of the house, with surrounding, facing walls acting like the street façades of the neighbouring buildings, while the walkway inside the house leads from the community to the individual – and vice versa.
