Wohnung für eine Familie von sechs Personen Brussels (BE)

Karl Augustinus Bieber and Ernst Althoff, tekeningen/drawings Marie Marcks

Authors

  • Fredie Floré TU Delft, Architecture and the Built Environment
  • Rika Devos Université libre de Bruxelles Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles

Abstract

The pavilion of the Federal Republic of Germany at Expo 58 in Brussels was designed by architects Egon Eiermann and Sep Ruf. The exhibition route led visitors via light walkways through eight individual, transparent volumes of different sizes. Visitors reached the ‘City and Home’ sector via the top floor, which was dedicated to the theme of ‘the city’. Various urban projects and challenges from the past decades were presented here, including the initiatives of the Bauhaus, the CIAM, the devastation of the war, and reconstruction projects such as the Hansaviertel in Berlin. The sector did not take a strong position on the high-rise debate that was taking place in Germany at the time, but it did highlight the benefits of a diversity of housing typologies.

On the ground floor, the theme of ‘the home’ was discussed, and diversity again played a central role. Two model apartments illustrated the new form of social housing, while a dining room and quality interior products in display cases showed the more luxurious segment. A small patio home that was added to the pavilion represented the idea of living ‘in direct contact with nature’.

Author Biography

Rika Devos, Université libre de Bruxelles Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles

Rika Devos is an engineer architect and holds a PhD in engineering sciences: architecture from Ghent University (2008). She teaches history of construction and architecture, theory of architecture, design studio and is involved in the academic coordination of the training in architectural engineering at ULB. Prof. Devos leads the AIA laboratory of BATir and is founding member of the joint ULB-VUB research group Construction Histories Brussels (http://chsb.ulb.be/). Her research focusses on exhibition architecture with particular interest in the role of modern architecture in the presentation of national identities. Her expertise in the history of modern architecture and construction deals primarily with historiography, as well as questions on collaboration, design tools and notions of knowledge exchange.

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Published

2018-06-01

Issue

No. 11 (2015): Interiors on Display

Section

Case Studies