Category Archives: Housing

Penzing Vienna, A Radical Walk

Vienna has its odd corners, crinkles in the landscape, curios that no-one knows anything about and pockets of resistance to decades of fashionable change. Such places are rarely sumptuous but they often include things striking and unusual. These places are about discovery rather than broadcast. We find them seemingly by chance, rather than being toldContinue reading “Penzing Vienna, A Radical Walk”

Betondorp; Amsterdam’s concrete village

Betondorp is a garden village in Amsterdam Oost, constructed between 1923 – 1927 during a period of intensive house building across the city in which thousands of homes were constructed by cooperatives, associations and the city council. It is part of the larger Tuindorp Watergraafsmeer garden village which consists of two distinctive areas. One halfContinue reading “Betondorp; Amsterdam’s concrete village”

Notes on Hamburg and its Housing

One of the pleasures of arriving at a port-city is the first impression, the immediate surfaces, the familiar-strangeness. The roll of the train into the station; cinematic movement, office blocks, bridges, viaducts the electrical infrastructure of the inter-city and suburban railways, glimpses of an earlier time, when capital took different forms, red brick buildings withContinue reading “Notes on Hamburg and its Housing”

Hufeisensiedlung, Berlin

Berlin is waking up. In every house and apartment bells are ringing, chiming, clanging. The sleepy population rises from their beds; big comfy doubles with another human close beside (some loved, others not so much, if at all), single beds, bunk beds, sofa beds, mattresses on the floor, piles of rags in unusual corners. TheContinue reading “Hufeisensiedlung, Berlin”

Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Berlin

The Carl Legien estate was built between 1928 to 1930 with originally 1149 flats. The two architects were Bruno Taut and Franz Hillinger and the project manager was Martin Wagner. Some brief biographical details: Bruno Taut (* 4 May 1880 Königsberg – † 24 December 1938 Istanbul) Taut was an artist and architect and influencedContinue reading “Wohnstadt Carl Legien, Berlin”

Suffragettes, Selfridges & Surgical Instruments

This is a walk that takes in a little of Oxford Street, a visit to Selfridges and a meander through parts of Marylebone. There is much to see in this area and several different walks could be created and each would be unique. As with all Radical Walks it’s not just the big ticket stuff,Continue reading “Suffragettes, Selfridges & Surgical Instruments”

Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing

The starting point for this walk is Spittelau U-Bahn. My starting point to get to Spittelau was one of the original Stadtbahn stations designed by Otto Wagner. It was a good introduction. If you take the U-Bahn to Spittelau look for the exit to Heiligenstädter Straße. As you approach this you will see the walkwayContinue reading “Ella Briggs, Karl Marx & Modern Housing”