By compressing the architectural intervention we can juxtapose it with a resulting ample courtyard. The noisy street will be immediately next to the quiet space, only separated through the building itself.

As Jane Jacobs says, „places must be dense and diverse. Such physical constellations prompt the unexpected encounter“.

Taking a closer look at the immediate environment one is intrigued by the backyards and courts around. So there is a solution to the antagonism of living at a noisy vibrant street: defining and protecting a piece of land by using the building’s mass and creating a quiet space, a courtyard.
   
A canteen and a squash field serves as a link between residents, neighbours, workers and new-comers. This way we oppose the courtyard to the street, creating a space for lingering. Putting the kitchen as central element of a house at the edge is creating an ambiguous space that incites neighbour interaction. To develop this idea even further, we made subtle interventions in spaces that are naturally crossed by the inhabitants.

By expanding the stair case platforms, a space for encounter and appropriation is created. Not as an external element but as part of the everyday path of every inhabitant. Finally leading to the roof, the two stairs bring together residents from both wings for their private court. We aim to deal with an ambivalent situation by juxtaposing two distinct qualities.


Project @Studio Vassal, 2017
In Collaboration with Max Bilger & Simon Kimmel