Access Balcony Housing Dessau

Following his philosophy that good architecture should not only serve the upper class but be affordable for everybody, Hannes Meyer designed five Access Balcony Housing Blocks for the Törten Settlement in Dessau. Unlike Walter Gropius, who designed the earlier sections, Meyer based his extension on an orthagonal street grid to ensure equal lighting for every apartment. Each housing block is aligned east-west, the northern façade facing the street with its access balconies. A glazed staircase, which has been altered in later years, grants access to the three levels and contrasts the horizontal adjustment. Wooden boxes for coal and bicycles form a base course underneath the first level balcony. Each apartment faces south with a big living room window and smaller openings for inferior rooms and kitchen. The housing blocks were built functionally with traditional brickwork and exposed concrete ceilings. In 1990, the blocks were refurbished; it is now possible to visit a model apartment.