The Resilient House Multi-Generational Housing

Text description provided by architect.

The multi-generational house with communal forms of living was realized for and with a "Baugruppe" (a group of people who commission their own housing development, here:

Through a concept selection process, the group was selected by the city to lease the land for the next 80 years. This marks the first new construction project of the Mietshäuser Syndikat in Munich. The building is a socially subsidized residential project under the "München Modell-Genossenschaften" funding model.

The cooperative planning process was facilitated by the architectural office etal. All decisions by the group were reached through a consensus-based approach.

The three-story, barrier-free building accommodates one cluster apartment on each floor, with a communal living and dining area. Each individual housing unit is equipped with its own bathroom and the possibility of a kitchenette connection.

The building presents a three-story facade towards the street, while the garden side features a mansard roof forming a two-story facade. The remaining roof area is extensively greened and accommodates photovoltaic panels. The building was designed as a timber construction.

All above-ground floors are constructed using timber frame construction, while the elevator shafts and ceilings are made from glued laminated timber.

The roof is designed as an open rafter structure to make it visible throughout the residential spaces of the top floor. The vertically, story-wise stacked cladding made of local spruce and steel trapezoidal sheets as weather protection for the exterior wooden sunshading defines the suspended facade.

The cement screed flooring was also left visible, only being sanded and oiled. The group's desire for individual rooms of approximately equal size deeply influenced the design concept.

The distinctive yet simple structure offers long-term flexibility for various forms of living. Seven rooms, each approximately 18 sqm in size, are arranged around a central hallway and a bathroom core.

The water connections are positioned in such a way that kitchens can be flexibly installed in six of the rooms without significant modifications. The walls of the rooms are designed as partition walls between apartments, providing the necessary soundproofing for possible reorganizations.

Functional elements, such as the wooden sunshading, allow residents to carry out alterations, maintenance, or repairs themselves through simple construction and installation techniques.

The participatory process and the high level of self-involvement during construction strengthened the residents' identification with their house, ensuring that the knowledge about the building's adaptability remains accessible to future generations.