Overview
The research project deals with a new interpretation of the courtyard house building type for sustainable high-density urbanity. Although the courtyard house has a millennia-old tradition and a wide range of different forms, it has not been adequately developed in the context of the sustainability debate of the last two decades compared to other predominant building types.
Research questions
Fundamental and systematic research work is required in order to catch up on further development with regard to high density and resource efficiency (in terms of materials and energy) within a reasonable period of time. Existing individual studies on traditional and modern courtyard houses offer a glimpse of great potential and are suitable as a starting point
Scientific approach and methods
The objective and further contribution of the research project is a new building typlogy, which is referred to here as a ‘compact courtyard house’. On the way to a sustainable urbanity of the future, it is no longer sufficient to technically optimise common solutions, but increasingly requires the systematic and interdisciplinary development of new and very efficient building types in combination with urban structures explicitly developed for this purpose.
Results
The millennia-old building type of the courtyard house has been reinterpreted as a building block for urban neighbourhoods of high density and heterogeneity. The compact courtyard house, usually with three closed outer walls, has a very small footprint. With three to five storeys and up to four residential units, it can replace detached houses and conventional residential buildings.
Exterior space, which conventional buildings require as a distance from each other, is integrated into the compact courtyard houses as a high-quality courtyard space that cannot be seen. Interior and exterior spaces can thus merge into a space continuum with high utility value. Each flat has at least one such courtyard. The dilemma of conventional building forms - density = loss of privacy and stress due to unwanted views - has been resolved.
The results were published in a book by TRIEST in German and English:
- Cremers, Jan; Bonfig, Peter; Offtermatt, David: Kompakte Hofhäuser - Anleitung zu einem urbanen Gebäudetyp. Triest Verlag Zürich, 2021, ISBN 978-3-03863-051-7
- Cremers, Jan; Bonfig, Peter; Offtermatt, David: Compact Courtyard Housing - A Guide to an Urban Building Type. Triest Verlag Zürich, 2021, ISBN 978-3-03863-052-4