Connecting the Pieces

Emma Lyne Pouch

Interior of Rucksack House

           As cities are growing and space continues to be limited, architects are forced to find new ways to produce designs that are moving forward in the new era and that are still pleasing to the eye of the viewers. New contemporary designs are vital towards progressing in architecture but what’s more important is that these projects are complementary to their surroundings. In our class lecture “Staying Together” many projects from the 2006 Biennale, Convertible City were addressed with their relation to redesigning a city block. Often in these situations architects are not given the option to tear down and start fresh with the buildings, instead they are forced to enhance the existing. The design strategies I found most engaging are addition, insertion and connection, words that strengthen the current conditions of a space. In the projects “Rucksack House” and “Polizei und Feuerwache” I uncovered the concepts of joining spaces on different scales that further define the purpose and use without complicating the original plans.

Shape and Section of Rucksack House

            Stefan Eberstadt’s design of the Rucksack House in Munich, Germany is a parasite in what it appears, as it’s simplest form. Parasites in architecture can be as simple or as complicated as you make them and in both cases can be very successful when serving the purpose for which it is intended. So when Eberstadt wanted to create a universal parasite that is prefabricated and can be easily transported, he broke it down to an uncomplicated form that balances art and architecture. His creation is a floating space that is light and open and brings a new view to the city. Its addition to the building connects any residential space to a room that appears empty but is filled with hidden furnishings. From the outside a passerby who notices the parasite sees a clear division created between the existing and the addition but from within the structures there is only a continuation.

Plan of "Polizei and Feuerwache" 

            Another project that stands out by it’s division between the old and new is the “Polizei and Feuerwache” project in Berlin, Germany by Sauerbruch Hutton. Designed as a new station for the police and fire departments of Berlin, this architecture connects a 19^th century Prussian-style structure to a contemporary design that plays with an irregular contrast. In this project we see the existing structure used as a backbone and support system to the addition, a concept that is evident in parasites but used here it a much larger scale. The greatest opposition in this project comes form the skin of geometric glass stretched over the new façade with the old brick façade emerging from the top. In plan we see how these spaces nicely join together and are reflected of one another yet it is the facade that we find the greatest division.

            These two examples from projects at the Convertible City Biennale identify with the strategies of creating complementary architecture. Although the project sizes are at a different scale they are similar in the use of addition, insertion and connection. They insert a new design and style by adding to the existing and creating a fluid connection in the plan arrangement. The divisions in space are evident from the exteriors but are nicely hidden within. As contemporary designs become prevalent, architects must continue using strategies of blending the old and new to create harmonious city blocks.

http://www.convertiblecity.de/projekte_en.html