MICROCOSM OF THE CITY Foundation for Experimental Housing (sew)
Could you read this case study as a microcosm of the city?
•
Foundation set up in 1968.
•
•
Group of dutch companies. A real estate
Herman Hertzberger’s Diagoon Housing
company, a construction company, joinery,
could be read as a microcosm of any city is
weaving mill, roof and wall manufacturer, steel/ aluminium producer. •
dubious. •
Foundation was set up as a guarantee fund
Due to a ‘lack of interest’, the initiallygrand plan to develop a residential area of
to bear the financial risks of experimental housing.
On a fundamental level, the notion that
324 Diagoon Houses never formulated, •
as a result, only eight houses were birthed. Hence, it is logical to assume that the housing could never work on a city-scale,
•
The foundation had no intention to initiate projects themselves, but to enable innovative
as it has failed once already.
designs and plans of architects and urban planners who would not take place otherwise, due to the higher building costs.’ •
The foundation only funded 2 projects: Diagoon and 70 houses in Middleburg.
•
Had no work from 1972 so disbanded in 1975.
Monogoonwoning, 1973 •
there were plans to build another, similar social housing estate on a larger scale, called ‘monogoon houses’, and they were due to be more affordable than diagoon.
•
however, the houses were never built as would have actually been more expensive than diagoon therefore the project fell
Physical Character In terms of its physical character, the root principle of ‘flexible’ housing allows for exploration and a certain sense of uniqueness. Nevertheless, with an increase of scaling comes a struggle for individuality. It is arguable that Hertzberger’s intent behind his flexible works was to, in fact, oppose conformity; yet should the Diagoon housing be formulated to the scale it was initially planned, the materials and the style of the housing itself would become a new conformity. As a consequence, the very idea Hertzberger set out to create would be contradicted.
through
12
13
NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY. ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING & LANDSCAPE STAGE 2. 16/17. SEMESTER. 1. ARC2001
STUDIO GROUP:c
Study Type Booklet
SEM. 1: P2.3 AT HOME IN THE CITY
23
2 P2.3.1