stefanie kรถnig DALE noreg remote place(s) childhood space(s) spring 2016
51°12’49.0”N 10°27’50.9”E this childhood space was part of a typical gdr settlement beyond the historic centre of a smaller town in the middle of germany. with their organized facade all the blocks look quite similar, but a child always knows where its home is. for reaching the apartment the second entrance of block number 89 had to be taken. forty steps later the flat is located on the right side. there were living four persons - a mother and father with their two children - a boy and a younger girl and a rabbit called maxi. outside there is a playground with a slide and two swings, several trees and two minutes walk away there is a river with a nice way to go for a walk, go by bike or skate. Inside there was a cozy living room with a big comfortable sofa and father´s armchair. sometimes it was transformed into a bouncy castle. they were eight summers and seven winters.
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location 1 2 3
(plan)
apartment block number 89 secondary school church st. georgii
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water
(plan)
two minutes away green areas follows the river unstrut and points the way to bigger playgrounds and soccer fields.
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outside activities
(section)
a little slop enables to sled in winter. a new bike path let families have their sunday walk there, children graze their knees by inline skating and pupils have to sprint there in their sports lessons.
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surrounding
(plan)
1 feldstraĂ&#x;e 2 parking space 3 apartment blocks 4 backyard 4 secondary school
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apartment blocks
(plan)
ten apartment blocks create a quarter. seven of them enclose a smaller playground.
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obligated daily movement
(plan)
woke up, get up, never had breakfast, put on the shoes, went across the street, went in the classroom and listened to the teacher
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optional daily movement
(plan)
had lunch cooked by mother, did homework, get out, met friends and played
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backyard
(plan)
the backyard is enclosed by bordering apartment blocks. it is a place for children to play there and for dogs to wee.
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neighbours
(volumetry)
while playing it was hard to hide from curious residents and concerned parents.
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trees
(plan)
several trees create a green space in the backyard for hang out the laundry, climb them up or play between.
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playing memory
(elevation)
sat on a swing, tried to gain a lot of momentum and felt so close to fly
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private space (section)
the apartment is located on the third floor with the view to the backyard and the neighbour buildings.
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front facade
(elevation)
all apartment blocks look quite similar. three entrances, five floors and small windows on the side facing the street.
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back facade
(elevation)
to the backyard the facade is more open. every apartment has a balcony, a bigger window for the living room and another smaller window for the child’s room.
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staircase
(section)
be happy when arrive home after forty steps. behind them the stairs seemed to get smaller and the staircase darker.
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33 | childhood space(s)
childhood apartment
(plan)
1 parent’s room retreat from monsters or nightmares later don’t want to enter it anymore 2 brother´s room playing with airplanes and cars later a prohibited place 3 bathroom 4 kitchen 5 child’s room sleep, learn, being stubborn after arguing with older brother or parents 6 eating place 7 living room 8 balcony
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dark corners
(section)
as a child the low ceiling heights were quite nice. but the dark corners weren’t cozy, almost frightening at night.
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light gradients
(plan)
natural light came only from the street and backyard facades. spend rarely time in the dark bathroom and kitchen.
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connection
(diagram)
the floor connected parent’s room, child’s room, the bathroom and the living room. there the kitchen, the other child’s room, a separate eating area and the balcony were plugged.
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41 | childhood space(s)
movement
(diagram)
went along the floor, sometimes a few steps in parent´s room, smaller circle in brother’s room, few steps in bathroom and kitchen, bigger circle in child’s room, stayed in living room and went outside to the balcony in summer
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stays
(diagram)
after school played in children’s rooms. after dinner watched tv or played cards in living room.
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furniture
(plan)
room-high cupboards, a soft double bed, children’s furniture made out of beech, the ones of the brother were painted black, a bathtub, no memories of the kitchen - to young to cook for oneself, a big dinner table, a big comfortable sofa and father’s armchair
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living room
(elevation)
bright wallpapers and a darker carpet end with one bigger window and a balcony door towards the backyard
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balcony
(elevation)
stepped on the balcony and looked if there are friends at the playground. later visited every day maxi - the increased rabbit - and played with it.
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living room 1 2 3 4 5
(plan)
door to child’s room sofa for mother (and children) if she was alone she put her feet up table for playing cards father’s armchair door to balcony
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father’s armchair
(plan)
it seemed as if there was an invisible water ditch around the armchair when the parents were at home
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bouncy castle
(plan)
when stayed at home and the parents wasn’t there, moved - no longer father’s - armchair in front of the sofa and transformed the place to a bouncy castle. 1 started at the carpet and jumped 1 to the armchair 2 above the backrest to the sofa 3 along the sofa 4 back to the carpet
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edge
(plan)
while growing up it wasn’t always easy that there was no buffer between the child’s room and the living room, where the parents stayed almost every evening.
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open door
(elevation)
almost all day long the door between the child’s room and the living room was open.
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closed door but the was bit
(elevation)
while sleeping or after argueling with parents or the older brother the door closed to be there alone and a little stubborn.
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child’s room
(plan)
there were a small bed, a self made desk, a roundabout alias a desk chair and a roomhigh cupboard made out of beech.
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light on carpet
(plan)
the room was lighten up by the almost always open door to the bright living room and the window to the backyard.
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light on walls 1 2 3
(elevation)
the dark sleeping place allowed to sleep long and don’t get awake from the sun. when was younger the place under the desk was good to hide to be alone or stubborn. on the carpet there was usually always a puzzle which had to be done.
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light coming through the window
(elevation)
the window enabled the view to the playground and to some big trees, and made the the carpet shiny.
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colour memory (elevation) the ceiling was covered by a blue wallpaper with stars which shined at night.
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texture
(plaster cast)
the typical texture of the gdr apartment blocks was created by the prefabricated concrete elements.
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component
(plaster cast)
this childhood space was a component of an apartment block and a whole settlement.
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front facade
(plaster cast)
brother’s room and parent’s room located towards the street.
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back facade
(plaster cast)
living room and child’s towards the backyard.
room
located
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living room and child’s room
(plaster cast)
was there really a hole? or is it only a blurred childhood memory?
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