Description
William Wurster”s proposal for The new house 194X’ competition
was initiated by a short manifesto in which he lists
the inherent and fixed problems of residential dwellings:
unalterable areas, arrangements with permanent wall
partitions, and a size that is usually limited to minimum
initial needs and impossible to expand except at considerable
expense. In place of these he proposes a fixed outer
shell — an undivided space of 36 feet by 54 feet la total
area of almost 180m2) which is raised one storey above
ground level, with a long staircase arriving in the centre of
the elongated plan. The principle here is not one of gradual
expansion and addition, but of subdivision. Wurster starts
with an abundance of inexpensive space that can then be
adjusted over time. With this one-floor house Wurster
uses the concept of excess space; space that is as simple
and economical as loft construction and allows everything
from maximum openness to complete division.
Initially, the completely open space would be divided
only by a completely prefabricated kitchen bay, bathroom
and closets. Later on, with children, it could be further
subdivided into a series of smaller separated areas
or rooms through the addition of closet units. These,
Wurster indicates, are factory-fabricated units for space
division and storage. Two standard sizes in two heights
cater for all needs: as clothes closets, as shelves for
books and magazines, as a sideboard, as a storage cupboard
for brooms and ironing equipment and as laundry
unit. As with Corbusier’s Maisons Loucheur, Wurster
offers additional space beneath the house for expansion: a
space that can be the garage, a garden store, a social hall
and /ora utility room.
Plan
People
Architect
Civil Engineer
Client
Owner
Time & Place
Status
planned
Date
01/05/1942
Address
USA
Specifications
Floors
Floors: 2
Height
Staircases
Units per Staircase
Units per Floor
Units
Unit Area
Plot Area
Floor Area Typical
Area Total
Podium Area
Courtyard Area
Ground floor Area
Residents
Parking Spaces
Taxonomy
Organisation
1 appartment
Material
Structure
Usage
Housing
Tags