GROWING URBAN HABITATS
Herman Hertzberger | Diagoon Houses
Delft, The Netherlands | 1967-1970 | Project Link
GRADATION
Where Hellersdorf-Berlin gives residents a traditional unit and lets them add pieces they desire, Diagoon makes creation a requirement. For a space to be truly ours, some might say you must make it entirely by yourself. This neglects the importance of community, but represents a new (if not really new at all) paradigm of individual space. Diagoon presents occupants with a core and some concrete blocks: the rest is up to them. As in Next 21, panelized systems and unit masonry are infinitely configurable, tradeable, and removable as wants and needs shift. Creation makes ownership tangible. The myriad orientations, combinations, and juxtapositions create a matrix of different unit types, differentiated by the accretion of small changes. Across the site, a gradient of individualized apartments gives the project a visual variety while remaining in a common architectural language.
Research By: Harding
