5. CASE SELECTION

5.1. 1972 - SAETTEDAMMEN

Hillerod, Denmark, 1972

Residents: 70

Dwelling units: 27

Bodil Graae encouraged people to contact her if they wanted to start a new way of life with their family and improve their habits and circumstances. A few individuals replied to his proposal, and in 1972, they constructed the saettedammen, Denmark's first residences. Yes, they are prompted by the past and old beliefs of global habitation, but they are the first social societies founded on a vision and shared ideas for revolutionizing families' lives.

They wanted to make a positive impact on the environment, and they recognized that the family's environment had a huge impact on us and that we were the only ones who could make a real change. They thought it was absurd to restrict how something as significant as a community may be experienced due to contractual profit, the municipality's unclear objectives or money, or the naivety of an accident.

Facilities and Initiatives:

Saettedammen contains a single communal dwelling as well as shared laundry facilities. They have outside spaces where cars are not permitted, allowing children to run around freely while remaining safe. An integrated living area with numerous playgrounds appears to focus on the initial aim of improving conditions for children and their pursuit of fun.

Residents of Saettedammen can attend a community supper held in a typical house up to four times each week. Residents can participate in a variety of activities in addition to the weekly meal and Friday gathering, including hiking, rabbit breeding, many orchestras, summer, Christmas, New Year's, and mid-summer in part, Saint Luca march, and many others. (2017, Saettedammen)

Architecture and Typology:

Cohousing (Source: Arkitekturbilleder)

In Saettedammen, the buildings are clustered around a common open area.

Residential developers were concerned about the prospect of individual remodeling. It was critical to have the flexibility to plan private living at all phases of life, allowing people to live a full life in their living space. As a result, architects Theo Bajerg and Palle Dyreborg were employed by the assembly organization. Architects had fixed interior walls, a single central beam, and easily detachable interior walls just a few years ago. The Saettedammen is the lone example of a construction plan that has never been done before.

"Adult LEGO blocks" are among the occupants' structures. Several dwellings have been transformed since 1972, and some have even developed little 'collections' as a result of families disintegrating and one or even more families organizing and embracing new residents to share their living space. Annexes and shelters have been added to several structures (Saettedammen 2017, Bendixen et al. 1997).