The Renewal of Dwelling

Most of Europe’s housing was built between 1945 and 1975. In only 30 years, the stock was not only renewed, but also significantly expanded. The public sector played a key role, as states and participating institutions sought a way to tackle the existing housing shortage. They also recognised a unique opportunity to implement their political ideals. For the first time, this publication presents how such a fundamental renewal of dwelling and its architectural implementation was achieved. Comparison between individual projects reveals universal themes, as well as local aspects integrated into the architecture. The diversity of housing themes in the post-war period is presented on two levels: firstly through an archive of exemplary housing developments and secondly with a collection of texts that engage with detailed aspects of housing in the examined cities. The archive of housing projects consists of original plans, sketches, photographs and short texts. Today, many of the presented buildings are in danger of being demolished or have already been removed, since they were not appreciated sufficiently. The dominant narrative is one of deficiencies. The value debate with respect to preserving such buildings lacks visions for the future. This book aims to renew the existing narrative and thereby inspire a positive approach to such post-war buildings. The study is based on 54 selected settlements and buildings from Zagreb, Cologne, Oslo, Porto, Lyon, Athens and the region of Liverpool/Manchester and Leeds/Sheffield. With contributions by: Jasper Cepl, Bauhaus University Weimar, with Sam Jacoby, Royal College of Art, London and Valerio Massaro, London South Bank University; Irina Davidovici, ETH Zurich; Philippe Dufieux, ENSAL Lyon; Nuno Grande, University of Coimbra; Anne-Kristine Kronborg, Oslo School of Architecture and Design; Karin Šerman and Jana Horvat, University of Zagreb; Panayotis Tournikiotis, NTUA Athens.