The Evolution of ApartmentsThe Evolution of ApartmentsThe Timeline

Need for apartment• Historically, the apartment block is associated with

housing the poor

• Over time with improved funding such socio

economic factors became irrelevant

• Rapid industrialization and dramatic rise in

population in 19th century, London led to lack of

adequate housing

1: circulation2: lobby3: living4: bedroom5: scullery6:WC

adequate housing

• Working class lived in cramped, poor conditions

& wealthy shifted to the edges of the growing city

• Society for improving the condition of the

labouring class (1844) was formed to promote

improved urban housing

• The society’s first housing experiment – 5 storey

block, Streatham street , Bloomsbury , London

designed by Henry Roberts (1849)Housing by Henry Roberts (1849)

First of its kind..• The U-shaped plan developed by Henry Roberts had a

rear courtyard, shared staircase and open access

balconies.

• The units were self contained as opposed to the

earlier dormitory arrangements

• Each unit had 2bedrooms, kitchen/scullery & WC

• Prince Albert supported the work and model

apartments were developed for Great Exhibition

1:coachway 8: stables2: vestibules 9: service stairs3: stairs 10: petit salon

Cesar Daly, France

apartments were developed for Great Exhibition

(1851)

• For 1851 exhibition apartments were designed to be bigger

with 3 bedrooms, internal ventilation system, 2 storey

cottages with 4 units.

• 1862 – designers of Peabody trust (founded in 1862

by George Peabody) developed supervised blocks

with shared sculleries and WCs

• Both concepts embraced the idea that high

densities were acceptable

• Simultaneously Garden city movement was happening

in the suburbs.

• Similar concept of shared facilities in France (following

Paris Exhibition 1889)

3: stairs 10: petit salon4: concierge 11: grand salon5:courtyard 12: dining6: lightwells 13: bedroom7: storage 14: Kitchen

What was happening in American then?• As the docks got crowded in Manhatten,

the rich moved further north leavingtheir houses to be subdivided andgiven to immigrants

• The emerging middle class in NewYork could not afford to buy row housesand didn’t prefer the tenements –solution Apartments

• The rich had to accommodate servantsin the attic

The Stuyvesant1: main stair hall2: back stair hallin the attic

• Architects looked to France forinspiration

• Ar. Richard Morris Hunt in 1869designed NY’s First Apartmentbuilding ‘the Stuyvesant’

• Development of the ‘French Flats’(1875) self contained units

• Were not appreciated by the Americansdue to lack of privacy

• Led to the development of ApartmentHotels (1920s)

• Discontinued due to regulation• By the end of 19th century – apartments

were built for all• 1884 - height regulations imposed

2: back stair hall3: private hall4: parlour5: dining6: chamber7: servant’s room8: kitchen

2 flats, separatecirculation forservantsDesigned for therich

French flatsSeparation ofbedrooms andparlour is less thanacceptableUsually 5-6 storeysLack of ventilation

By the end of 19th Century…

• America :▫ Apartments were built for all budgets and all types of occupants.▫ Tendency to stick to the Beaux Arts French Neoclassicism because of

the symmetry

• London:• London:▫ Gothic and classical style replaced by Arts & crafts movement

influence▫ 1877 - Richard Norman Shaw designed first apartment complex for the

wealthy, designed in phases use of split levels, living rooms overlookingpark.

▫ Arts and crafts style criticized for barrack like appearance.▫ 1893-1914 – working class housing by London county council architects

department established the importance of architects in apartmentdesign.

Dawn of the 20th Century…• Stylistic and aesthetic debates gave way to discussion of social and economic issues• Architects started experimenting• Ushered in new kind of urbanism – high rise buildings with high speed transport systems• Italian futurist Antonio Sant’Elia worked on innovative factory and commercial building designs• French, Toni Garnier’s Cite Industrielle (1917)• Germany, Ludwig Hilberseimer’s Hochhausstadt (1924) proposed similar vertical layering• Henry Sauvage’s apartements a gadin used RCC, and setbacks at each floor to provide terrace & open

areas (Ziggurat)• 1922 - Le Corbusier exhibited ville contemporaine – showed vertical zoning• 1925 - Framed structure exhibited at Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in Paris as the pavilion de

l’Espirit Nouveaul’Espirit Nouveau• Building regulations were introduced – zoning, density, space standards, specifications etc.• 1927 – model housing exhibition, Weissenhof Siedlung , Mies Van de Rohe achieved Flexible Plan

with uniform facades

Henry Sauvage’s , Ziggurat shaped hotel

Weissenhof Siedlung , Mies Van de Rohe1: main stairs2: living3: bedroom4: kitchen5: shower6: coal storage

• 1932 – Werkbund exhibition, Vienna, AndreLurcat’s small footprint , walkup.

• 1933-35 – Highpoint London, first apartment todisplay early Modernist ideals, doublecruciform plan with 2 circulation cores, pilotis(stilt)

• 1937-39 – the Palace Gate Flats, London usedinnovative Split Level Sections

• 1930 – Russia, Moisei Ginsburg’s Narkomfinapartment building, double heighted spaces

Post II World WarHighpoint London

Post II World War• 1947 – London, Churchill Gardens Estate in

Pimlico used, RCC frame structure to installcentral heating & fireplace flues

• 1946 - Chicago, Mies Van de Rohe , 20 storey-Promontory Apartments, RCC framed structure

• 1949-51- 26 storey Lake Shore DriveApartments used curtain walling

• 1952 – France, Le Corbusier, Unite d’Habitation in Marseilles, perfected duplex flatsusing interlocking

Palace Gate London

20th century, new technologies and challenges• 20th century ushered in pre fabrication, mass

construction and high rise

• 1969 – london, British Iron and Steel Federationsponsored experimental house by Frederick Gibberdusing light weight steel fabrication techniques,and concrete floor slabs

• 1950s – 1960s – use of standard , pre fabricatedmaterials, steel structures like tubular steelmaterials, steel structures like tubular steelframes and steel decking

• As seen in Raphael Sariano’s experimental unitdevelopment

• 1959-1960 – Pierre Koenig – standard components

• 1970s – using modules and complete dwellingfabricated off site

• Nagakin Capsule Tower, Tokyo (1972) uses concertecore structural tower while supports minipods orcapsules.

• 1990s – Microflats concept introduced by JohnPrewer, size of modular units based on size ofshipping containers

Nagakin Capsule Tower

Lets Recap the timeline Lets Recap the timeline

Henry Roberts (1849)Self contained units

Peabody Trust (1862)Concierge blocks with shared facilities

1877 - 1st apartment forwealthy by RichardNorman Shaw

Transition from gothic & classicalarchitecture to influence of Arts andCrafts Movement (end of 19thCentury)

1860-1880End of 19th century

the importance of architects in apartment design established

England

1920 s

French Societe Francaisedes Habitations a Bon Marche (1889)Richard Morris Hunt,

NY, 1869-1875‘French Flats’

‘Apartment Hotels’ or‘condensed Apartments’popular in 1920s.Discouraged by regulation

Late 19th century America –apartments for all

1849

End of 19th century

France influences USA

France

America

Dawn of 20th Century

Vertical zoningintroduced in 1920s

1922 - Le Corbusierexhibited villecontemporaine

Building regulations wereintroduced

1920 s

1933-35 – Highpoint London, firstapartment to display earlyModernist ideals / stilt/ Cruciformplan to maximize external wall area

1930 s

1937-39 – the PalaceGate Flats usedinnovative Split LevelSections

1947 – London, Churchill GardensEstate, RCC frame structure toinstall central heating fireplaceflues

1940 s 1950 s

England

Use of RCC andFramed structureintroduced in Parisexhibition 1925

1927 - Mies Van de Roheachieved Flexible Planwithin uniform facade

1946 - Chicago, MiesVan de Rohe , 20storey- RCC framedstructure

1949-51- 26 storey LakeShore Drive Apartments ,curtain walling

1952 – France, Le Corbusier, Unite d’ Habitation in Marseilles

Post WW II 20 th Century

Europe & America

pre fabrication, massconstruction and highrise

1969 – london, FrederickGibberd, light weight steelfabrication techniques

1970s – using modules andcomplete dwelling fabricatedoff site

1970 s1950 - 1960 s

1990s – Microflats conceptintroduced by John Prewer

1990 s

High DensityApartments

20 th Century

1950s – 1960s - RaphaelSariano’s experimental unitdevelopment ,use of standardpre fabricated materials, steelstructures

1959-1960 – Pierre Koenig –standard components

Nagakin Capsule Tower, Tokyo (1972)uses concerte core to support capsules.

21 st Century

•Population explosionhas led to rise in density

•Apartments designed to

21st century…

•Apartments designed toachieve high densitydevelopments

High Rise in Kolkata• 1930s – working class ‘Apartment hotels’ rather called lodges were

prevalent, especially around docks• 1st high rise in Kolkata came up in 1964, Jindal House (14 storeys),

through the efforts of Ar. Gopal Mitra• 1st residential high rise was his work, Shibnath Sastri (11 Storey)

came up in 1967• High rise development increases after 2002, due to development of

Rajarhat New TownRajarhat New Town• Most new apartments are for higher income groups

Jindal House, Kolkata

1. Idea popularized in 1970s –structures came up aroundSouthern Avenue andGariahat- Avenue House(1970), Sarobar (1971),Ananda (1972), Greenview(1974), Meghmallar (1978)

2. The second phase ofdevelopment came in 80s(Ratnabali, Golf Green etc)

3(Ratnabali, Golf Green etc)around Chak Garia and E.M.Bypass then Park Street, worksof Ar. Dulal Mukherjee likeHimadri Apartments wereseen then.

3. The 3rd Phase wasdevelopment of Rajarhat

1

2

huge courtyard at Basu Bati (1874)Built by first qualified Bengaliengineer Nilmani Mitra

Cesar Daly, France (1864)

Galstaun Mansion (renamed Queen's Mansion) in the year 1927.The Galstaun Mansion is almost an exact copy of a famous building in Paris, also built on a similar corner plot.

Spence's Hotel, Calcutta, 1858-61

Spences Hotel (Estd. 1830), Calcutta.pence's Hotel was moved to another location

The West End Watch Co. (ESTD. 1882) in Dalhousie Square, Calcutta.From a postcard published by Thacker, Spink & Co. (1908).

Evidently the influence of the Art & CraftsMovement by the end of 19th Century.

� This elaborate, ‘wedding-cake’ structure was purpose-built by Calcutta-basedcontractors Mackintosh Burn & Co as the headquarters of Whiteaway, Laidlaw &Co;

� its architecture, sheer size and prominent corner position were intended to attractbuyers.

� The ground floor and the first floor were occupied by the department store itself.� The second and third floors accommodated offices and apartments;� the offices were known as Victoria Chambers.

Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta, (1840/1841)

Harrison Road view probably in the late 60s.

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