Neues Frankfurt: Siedlung Praunheim - Westhausen

To relieve the housing need after World War 1 the Frankfurt Initiative was set up with the aim of providing affordable rented housing at a large scale. Ernst May the city official for planning and housing created several suburban housing estates In 1925 May started planning a suburban estate directly west of the village of Praunheim. The estate was expanded twice, with a neighbouring estate developed along the same principles at Westerhausen. Like all other housing projects of Neues Frankfurt these estates were a Reichsheimstättensiedlung (Governmental Guaranteed Home Housing Scheme). Frankfurt shares this approach with other  major German cities -like Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg- that didn't developed social housing via a non-profit housing association (like in Vienna) but instead saw house building by the municipal authority. These dwellings, mostly apartments, could then be rented out by the city authorities via a housing department under conditions set by them.

Praunheim the largest of all the housing built under this Reichsheimstätten-scheme. In only three years almost 1500 dwellings were completed. Praunheim was actually developed in three separate building campaigns between 1926-29 and saw a shift in approach, both in planning, layout and building type. The Siedling Westerhausen (literally west of the village of Hausen) was developed south of the westernmost section of the Siedlung Praunheim as a spatially separate unit.

The shift in approach in the Praunheim Estate is distinct and therefore very visible. The first section has a kinked diagonal street as its main motif. This section is a modernist interpretation of Sitte-esque urban design and evokes the sense of a village street. The street fits with spatial expectation with a church and shops at the point where another street connects and the line of the street is bayoneted. The street is, however, lined by colourful modernist housing in long rows with flat roofs and blocks of flats placed at right angles to it. The second building phase connects to the "village street" west of the "centre" and is best characterised as a grid with some shifts in building line to create open corners with small greens. The third building phase was built within the boundaries of Rödelheim and is a strict grid of streets with the residential streets running north-south. In the middle one grid cell was kept free and was planted as a small park. Between phase 2 and 3 two long apartment blocks flank the new main road. At street level shops and other business premises were included in these blocks that became the new central focus of the housing estate.

The Praunheim Estate with the three building phases (1-3). The public greenery is shown in green, with allotments in yellow. At the heart of the first section stand a Church (c), primary school (p) and shops (s). In phase two a kindergarten (k) and a block of shops appeared. On the edge of the third phase two long apartment blocks (a) now dominate the housing estate.

All houses were built in Bauhaus style or in an early modernist style. Ernst May was responsible for planning the estate and setting out clear guidelines for the architectural design of the buildings and public spaces. The buildings were designed by the architects Wolfgang Bangert, Eugen Blanck, Herbert Boehm, Eugen Kaufmann and Ferdinand Kramer. The head of Parks and Horticulture (Gartenbaudirektor) Max Bromme was responsible for the design and planting of communal spaces, public gardens and streets. Each house (dwelling) featured a standardised Frankfurt Kitchen and many other industrially produces fittings and fixtures.

The Westerhausen Estate was the last of the large housing estates to be completed. With 1116 rental homes it was slightly smaller than the neighbouring Praunheim Estate. This estate was constructed south of phase 3 of the Siedlung Prainheim, and is thus also located in Rödelheim. A sporting ground and a clay pit separated both. Now the latter site has been redeveloped for housing. All the original housing of the Siedlung Westerhausen was constructed using prefabricated building components. The houses are very similer to thate in phase 3 of the neighbouring Praunheim Estate. Work started in 1929 and all the houses were occupied by 1931. This streets are on a rational orthogonal layout with the Zeilenbau -so typical of Neues Bauen or New Objectivity- and longs strips of greenery permeating the estate. As such this housing estate forebodes international modernism in Corbusian style.

The Westerhausen Estate relied on neighbouring urban areas for its amenities. A collective laundry (L) was built on the edge of the estate but it no longer exists. The spatial counter structure of greenery is a very striking feature of this estate.

Urban animal: black birds

Many birds have been named "black bird" as a result of their predominantly black colouration. Most of these birds are unrelated to each other and certainly not related to the Common blackbird found throughout Europe and West-Asia. Originally a shy forest dweller these songbirds have become more widespread in the urban environment from the 1950s onwards as parks and large gardens started to mature. Like rabbits, blackbirds are especially common in modernist (Corbusian) housing estates with apartment blocks set amongst parkland and greenery.

Only the males deserve the name black birds, the females are a duller dark brown. They can be seen foraging for worms, snails and insects in the undergrowth, under hedges and on lawns and other short grassland. They like to make nests in hedges, dense bushes or ivy. Sometimes a young chick falls out and is fed on the ground by the parents until it can fly.

Siedlung Bornheimer Hang: attractive modular housing

This social housing estate, built after plans by Ernst May as part of the New Frankfurt Initiative is located north of the city centre of Frankfurt on the edge of Bornheim. It is a good example of early modernism, especially New Objectivity. The housing estate Bornheimer Hang was named after a natural feature known as a Hang (literally slope) a river cliff of the Main that is situated directly southeast of the village of Bornheim.

This housing estate is dominated by large apartment blocks with flat roofs. The blocks are typically 4 storeys in height with central staircases. The roofline is staggered as the long block is follows the gentle slope of the terrain.

In this New Objectivity estate the placement apartment blocks follows the layout of the streets, thus creating street spaces in a similar way to Sitte-esque urban planning on artistic principles. The apartment blocks have been built around semi-public gardens. To alleviate the lack of balconies in these outer blocks, tenant were given the option of renting a garden plot on the other side of the road.

Inside the largest superblock Ernst May included low family housing in short terraces. These were built in a regular manner alongside a footpath. These houses have similar architecture and the same flat roofs as the surrounding apartment blocks.

The small double-storey family homes all have a small garden at the front and back edged with privet hedges. A metal rail starts at the front door (right) and runs across the front gardens. This was designed as a support for washing lines and climbers. The design is very restrained with little ornament.

A typical New Objectivity feature is the so-called Zeilenbau. This is sometimes dominant as in Dammerstock, here it is one of the solutions. In this type of row housing the houses are built front garden to back garden as repetitive rows, all with the same orientation -so chosen to make the most of natural sunlight.

The central church of the estate was built on the edge of it, at the end of the central square and near the park on the cliff slope that would separate this estate from the planned Rothenbuschsiedlung. This modern church was designed by Martin Webber. It was constructed in steel frame and consecrated in 1929. It is a skilful reinterpretation of the type. The only ornamentation are the four evangelists on the side (on de left) that stick out like gargoyles.   

The higher section of the church was designed to create a focal point at the end of the curved central space that was renamed Ernst-May-Platz in 1996. Apartment blocks line this central "square". Rows of trees soften the space and create subspaces.

The buildings were built in only a few types. One type has typical square windows that are placed at regular intervals creating a very ordered facade (left). Other apartment blocks show more variation in window treatment with a vertical band of windows above the entrance to bring light into the stairwell, larger rectangular windows on the lower elevations and smaller square windows on the top elevation (right).

A view along the central square from the tram stop. The trees on the right of the picture were planted in front of the shopping parade to create a subspace where markets and social activities could take place. The shops are still in situ and in use.

The blocks on the west side of the estate have been designed with pitched roofs instead of the standard New Frankfurt Initiative flat roofs. On the right a picture of the decorative buildings with pitched roof that were developed next to the site of the Siedlung Bornheimer Hang.

A typical streetscape with the blocks with pitched roofs. These building appear lower as the facade is only 3 storeys with a fourth storey below the roof. The bedrooms in the roof are provided with natural light by bands of small dormers. The vertical entrances are the same as those apartment blocks on the Ernst-May-Platz.

The blocks with pitched roofs all have a decorative plinth in brick. All buildings have rendered facades. The buildings in the northern section of this housing estate have balconies, where those in the southern section lack these.

The urban design is typical of New Objectivity with urban superblocks that have been opened up and thus differ from the closed Gartenhof that was built in Vienna at the same time. The space between the blocks is semi-public green space for the enjoyment of the residents. Although all buildings are the same height this creates an attractive vista down the streets.

Some of the central blocks are higher at 5 storeys. With the protruding balconies and vertical band of windows above the entrances these blocks have strong verticals on an otherwise horizontal facade. the balconies also create a rhythm along the street.

The apartment blocks are built directly on the street. The greenery was concentrated along one side of the street for maximum impact and better growing conditions. Sadly this is now all parking space. This 1920s estate was never designed with private car ownership in mind.

The northern blocks along the park on the slope of "the Hang" were seen as a feature to be viewed from the never realised neighbouring estate of Rothenbusch. These blocks have rooftop gardens and roof terraces, as well as balconies. This is indicative of the shift in building design as the development progressed. The prospective tenants had influence on the new housing being built. The higher sections don't correspond with the entrances, which all have a semicircular concrete awning. The repetitive use of the boxy balconies give this long facade a great sculptural quality.

A view down towards the Ernst-May-Platz from the church. The cars that are parked here and in all the residential streets were never taken into consideration in the original scheme. Otherwise the guiding principle of functional design of New Objectivity would have made provisions for car parking.  

Neues Frankfurt: Siedlung Bornheimer Hang

The village of Bornheim was located just within the Landwehr (a defensive territorial earthwork comprising of a dyke and a ditch) of the free city of Frankfurt. As such it fell under the jurisdiction of the city administration. Frankfurt expanded within this circle dyke from the late 18th century, but especially during the 19th century. By 1900 the urban quarter of Nordend-Ost had encroached on the village covering most of the formerly open countryside beyond the historic central city. The village itself is located at the top of the so-called Bornheimer Hang (a river cliff).

The Siedlung Bornheimer Hang (Bornheim Cliff Estate) was planned on the edge of existing housing on the edge of Bormheim. This site near the Ostpark (planted 1906) and the Riederwald (a riparian wood) was chosen for the availability of recreational space and nature and the proximity to the existing city and the Osthafen (East Harbour - built 1908). Planning started in 1924. Three housing estates were planned: Siedlung Bornheimer Hang, Rothenbuschsiedlung and Siedlung Riederwald. Of these three two were built, the central housing estate (the Rothenbusch Estate) never progressed beyond the planning stage. As a result the amenities in both of the outer estates that were realised are concentrated on the edge making them seem lopsided. The Church of the Holy Cross (Heilig-Kreuz-Kirche) was built on the edge of the estate next to  the public park on the slope. The central square still has a shopping parade in the original buildings. A primary school was also part of the original plan. Likewise a community hall, but this facility was never realised.

The total plan for the new housing area between Bornheim and the East Harbour of Frankfurt. The Rothenbuschsiedlung has a very distinctive fan-shaped street plan. This central section was never realised due to the New Frankfurt Initiative being abandoned for political reasons in the 1930s.THe Siedlung Bornheimer Hang was built on the west side (in red at the top of the image) and the Siedlung Riederwald was realised in the southeast (in orange).

Unlike other housing estates that were built as part of the New Frankfurt Initiative, the Siedlung Bornheimer Hang was built alongside another development so Ernst May included blocks with pitched roofs on that side of the estate to provide a better and more continuous transition. The use of pre-cast concrete element sped up the building time considerably, so that in 4 years  1234 were completed and only one year later the total of 1540 dwellings were occupied by tenants. As a Großsiedlung this housing estate is mostly made up of apartment blocks with central staircases. The apartments have optimised floor plans with standardised fittings (e.g. a Frankfurt Kitchen). The dwellings are rather small at 55 to 65 m2 and were commissioned by the Aktiengesellschaft für Kleine Wohnungen (Public Company for Small Dwellings).

The present estate is phase 1 of the planned estate. The northernmost section of phase 2 that would have connected to the Rothenbuschsiedlung was never built [2]. Instead some apartment blocks, a ice-skating centre and a sports hall were built here by the city, as the ground was already owned by them. The Siedlung Bornheimer Hang is located between the former village of Bornheim (Bh) and the river cliff (H). The central square was renamed Ernst-May Platz (E) by the city in the 1990s. It connects to a shopping parade (p) along the central spine of the estate. At the other end it is now terminated by a church (C) on the edge of the Hang that is used as a park. Two schools (s) and a youth centre (y) are part of the estate. Short terraces of family houses (f) are located within one of the large blocks.

Notably the dwellings lack balconies. Some of the apartment blocks have rooftop gardens. All blocks are arranged around semi-public gardens, much like a Gartenhof, but here in an open arrangement. In the largest a number of family houses were positioned on either side of a residential street that cuts through the middle of the space within the middle-rise blocks around it. Residents were given the option to rent a small patch in one of the allotment complexes on the slope of the Bornheimer Hang. These allotment gardens are part of a park that was created on the slope by Max Bromme and Ulrich Wolf.

The estate has been renovated and has listed status as a monument of municipal housing provision of the 1920s.