A central strip of green separates the northern and
southern sections of Dammerstock. Along the edge also runs the main road that
links this suburb to the main road along the railway. The strip has been
planted as an ornamental park with expanses of grass with trees and shrubs.
The traditionalist style of building of the
Stuttgarter Schule (left) contrasts sharply with the cubist lines of the
Bauhaus architecture (right).
The buildings in the traditionalist style that date
from the 1930s are positioned along long parallel streets with ample green
front gardens. The orthogonal street plan wasn't changed, so the houses with pitched
and hipped roofs are arranged in long rows running north to south.
This building stands at the entrance to Dammerstock
and advertises the intended Bauhaus style of the development. The complex had a
social function with a bakery, kitchen, bathhouse, laundrette and community
hall.
The apartments can be accessed via a back street that
runs underneath a gateway. This gate separates the functional parts of the
complex, but also creates a strong sense of place.
The functional elements of the architecture are the
ornament within the Bauhaus doctrine. Exceptions are made for murals and
tableaus. For the most part the architecture depends on the sculptural quality
of the blocks with the rhythm of the structural elements, faces and openings.
The streets that run east to west are the through
streets, that now harbour all the parked cars of the residents. The ends of the
rows of housing create a strict rhythm along these streets. This also
emphasizes the perception of depth, thus making the area look more spacious.
In contrast the rows of housing are spaced relatively
close to each other creating long rows that run north to south. Some blocks are
multifamily houses with small to medium size apartments. These blocks all have
a unifying plinth in a gray colour.
The equally long rows of terraced houses lack the
plinth and have a uniform facade in a single colour. Here the openings for the
doors and windows are used to great effect creating both a horizontal and
vertical rhythm. The small awning over the entrance and the steps are almost
ornamental, although fully functional.
The ambition was to create modern living for modern
people in a green and pleasant setting. So the design incorporated communal
gardens with fruit trees and private gardens for the terraced housing. Hedges
were used to unify all elements and create structure. These hedges are the same
as in garden villages: privet.
The strips of garden space are unified by the long
hedges running along. The white blocks stand out between the surrounding green
thus supporting the idea(l) of a spacious place to live happily that has none
of the vices of urbanity. Dammerstock is basically a modernist garden suburb.
Along the edge of the quarter a ridge of higher
apartment blocks define the area against the surrounding landscape and also
serve as a barrier towards the railway and the main through road on that side.
De Blocks are of a deceptively simple design that is emphasised by the shadows
of the trees in the park like public garden that sits next to it.
The blocks of flats don't stand out, as they are
surrounded by higher vegetation (trees) that the lower rows at the heart of
Dammerstock (that have fruit trees).The architecture emphasises their relative
height through the horizontal alignment of windows and balconies in bands along
the facade.
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