living and working for ex-convicts / extension &
conversionHouse Felsenau – first contact
point for ex-convicts for working and living – has developed out of a social
vision ever since. Early housing pavilions on the site are now a built manifest
of this utopia. The new extension of House Felsenau stays within this tradition:
an open city in the city with temporary inhabitants, reflecting a heterogeneous
community. Leading ex-convicts back to normal life
rhythm demands an appropriate spatial arrangement. An ensemble of pavilions
keeps the scale of the place. 6 new pavilions - 4 workshops, 2 housing - are implemented.
The architecture itself is light and modern. Pavilions can be prefabricated
small – size industrial halls, partly glass houses. Pitched roofs shake hands
with the existing.
The layout is due to differentiated and well-sized
open spaces. Invigoration of narrowness. Instead of boosting the duality of one
house – one yard, various open spaces emerge, giving the possibility of coeval
use for different interest groups and activities. In summer indoor and outdoor
spaces become one. The site is a field for working and activity.