2-Storey row house
Designer: Isolde Knotte
Elevations
Ground floor-plan
First floor-plan
Basement floor-plan
Section and Site-plan
Explanatory Report
Real Estate / Site Development
A piece of real estate to be used for developing a total of 5 terraced houses on a level piece of land was chosen in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
This piece of real estate is 90m long and 40m wide and is located on a side street. This piece of real estate belongs to an existing farm in Wenderfeld that is currently no longer in use. The surrounding real estate consists solely of single-family homes with one or two storeys. The roof form of the majority of houses is a double pitch roof; it is only the farmhouse that has a pavilion roof, in order that the terraced houses in planning would fit in harmoniously with the form of other roofs and the optical appearance of the other buildings already in place.
The communal entrance point leading into the farmyard should serve as the access point to the garage area behind the planned terraced housing.
Floor Plan Setup / Room Order
The individual pathways leading to the terraced houses branch off from the main pathway along the Wenderfeld. The house entrance area is designed in such a way that it provides roofing to shelter people from the elements and can be viewed from the kitchen. The hallway can be reached via the vestibule, in which the wooden staircase and, slightly removed to one side, the cloakroom and WC/shower room are located. A glazed door should divide the vestibule from the sitting room (“Gute Stube”) within the house while giving the individual inside a feeling of spatial transparency, which also provides the vestibule with adequate natural lighting.
The sitting room should be south-facing and, consequently, should receive suitable daylight. Lighting and ventilation should be achieved with generously designed window surfaces reaching down to the floor that allow the viewer an uninhibited view into the garden.
The room should provide family members with a relaxation zone and simultaneously an area where guests can be welcomed without giving other family members the feeling of being disturbed.
The family room is the most important room in a terraced house and must also be oriented to the south side. In this room, which should also be fitted with a fireplace to create a warm atmosphere, the day-to-day life of the family takes place. This is where mealtimes are enjoyed, where the mother is able to play with the children and keep an eye on them as homework is being done, without actually having to leave the kitchen.
The kitchen is situated directly to the family room and has a sufficient amount of surface area to house all kitchen appliances and cupboards. The kitchen itself is somewhat screened-off from the family room with the aid of a breakfast counter, which itself also permits smaller meals to be consumed.
The multi-purpose room is linked to the cloakroom, the WC/shower room and the vestibule. It also has a separate entrance and can be used as either a cellar replacement, a storage place for bicycles and prams, or as a hobby room. A storage surface for household waste is also designated.
The wooden staircase connects to the rooms on the upper storey. The upper storey contains both individuals’ and sanitation rooms. The rooms themselves are all linked via the centrally located vestibule.
The parent’sbedroom is an independent room containing sufficient surface area for furnishings. Given its north-east orientation, it should receive enough light during the day. A large window section guarantees adequate ventilation.
The individual room for the children is situated in a large room. Wardrobe units divide this into two children’s bedrooms. This means that, depending on the family setup, this space can either be used as one large room or two individual rooms. Both alternatives permit a suitable level of furnishing. Both lighting and ventilation are enabled by the presence of a window.
A shower/bath combination is attached to the children’s room. The bathroom should contain a greater level of fittings. It should have a bath and two washbasins.
A storage room on the top floor should also be in place. The storage surface itself can also be extended via a sliding step into the attic.
The cellar should contain the following rooms:
A work prep room, a pantry, heating unit room, a hobby room and another separate shower that can be used directly from the hobby room. All cellar rooms should be reachable from a central hallway.
An external stairway leading from the hobby room should allow entrance to both the garden and terrace area.
The terrace is positioned and linked directly to the sitting space (“Gute Stube”) and the family room. With the positioning of the family room to the left hand side, each terraced house can enjoyed a protected terrace area. The pergola means that there is a natural protection against direct sunlight as well as a visual protection from above.
The garage area for the 5 terraced houses is located behind the gardens. It also provides the residents with an additional “free surface area” so that the children also have another danger-free area to play and ride the bikes. This means that not only the building but also the surrounding area can be described a child-friendly.
The building form is determined largely by the jutty and set-off of one half of a building. With the aid of this off-set, all terraced houses and their respective layouts fit harmoniously together. The slight façade is invigorated by the pergola and window units in the lower third of the house itself.
This led to the design of a building that permits children-friendly, family-oriented and individual living given its peaceful situation, its formation and ground plan design (i.e. the relationship and situation of the individual rooms to each other).