Ugly Cube with a flat roof: Why new houses in Germany, all look the same

In Germany, the promise of city planners in new construction projects "attractive neighborhoods" and "innovative concepts" - and as monotonous as the saying

Ugly Cube with a flat roof: Why new houses in Germany, all look the same

In Germany, the promise of city planners in new construction projects "attractive neighborhoods" and "innovative concepts" - and as monotonous as the sayings of advertising the results are. Many new construction areas are the same, so much so that visitors can only see from the number plates of the parked cars, whether you are in Bavaria or Schleswig-Holstein. It of the square is dominated with a flat roof.

The reasons for the built-up Wastes are diverse, as experts say. Economic interests of the property developers also play a role, such as authorities, politicians, and the dominant group of the modernists among the architects.

Cubes are ideal for short-term rate of return

A major factor: the short-term rate of return. "If you walls, cube-like boxes with straight lines and flat roof, to optimize the area, they always have a few more square feet of living space with sloping roof," says Sebastian Körber (FDP), an architect and Chairman of the building Committee in the Bavarian Parliament.

The municipalities themselves, through their procurement practice: Up to the First world war, plots of land were sold off individually or in groups less of adjacent plots and built on. Each block received a custom face. After the First world war, the situation changed: Since then, the municipalities dispose of subsoil frequently in larger units, so that a company can build a variety of uniform houses.

"commune gets what the developer calculates"

"is One of the main problem is that the local authorities left to the developers of large areas without an urban context," says Christian Siedenburg, an architect, in the upper Bavarian Krün and supporters of traditional construction. "If you don't controls against, gets a commune, what the developer calculates." (Display)

apartments, houses and commercial objects.

here you will Find the right property

However, even projects with aesthetic claim in a cost-spiral: As land prices and construction costs have increased dramatically, increases the incentive to save elsewhere - in the case of beauty and quality.

In the 19th century. Century was built, the beauty of a state objective

The building codes of the Federal States are in single points so different that architects and contractors are pulling their hair out, but in the broad similar to that. In Bavaria, a house is 22 meters in height from the floor the upper edge of a recreation room, a high-rise building, such as construction-in-chief Körber explained. "There are increased requirements to fire safety and the second structural emergency Route shall apply. This increases the construction costs by up to 25 percent.“ The nationwide usual 22 meters based on the height of the fire brigade turntable ladders, in the standard measurement in the construction industry crams as much living space as possible.

But it would fall short, only to return and regulations responsible. In the 19th century. Century was built, the beauty of a state objective: "I want to make Munich a city to be passed by Germany so in honor of that, no one can say that he knows Germany, if he has not seen Munich," said Bavaria's king Ludwig I. (1786-1868), quite in the usual tone of blue and white self-elevation. But sober bourgeois ruled cities such as Hamburg developed formerly comparable ambition.

politicians fear accusations of waste of money

Today's politicians act with any major construction project the accusation of a waste of money. The main thing is that in a cost-effective, in any choice program, the beauty of the architecture theme. Real estate Atlas 2020

In this PDF guide you will find everything that is Important to the topics of rent, the purchase price for condos and houses in 100 cities.

PDF guide

And the architects have set worldwide, nearly 100 years ago formulated the ideas of Modern architecture by: "Less is more," wrote Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969), a founding father of contemporary architecture. In the architectural minimalism cubic forms, flat roofs, smooth facades, and glass dominate. Decorative elements are also frowned upon, such as gabled roofs, or the once-usual regional architectural styles. The principles of classic urban design have been abandoned for axles with road trains in the block of buildings, spaces and views.

"In the urban design of the Modern failed"

However, the majority of the citizens of old quarter perceives as beautiful, not in the post-war period, practised line construction with houses in the cross road direction, not to mention the large housing estates like märkisches Viertel in Berlin or Munich-Neuperlach.

"In the urban design has failed the Modern, there are no nice roads, no places, no axes, only in the area of uniform building distributed", writes architect Siedenburg. "Every single one of the old buildings - you just have to be more than 100 years old - has much more beauty and quality of life than today's quarters," sighed the Frankfurt urban planner Christoph Mäckler 2017 in the German architects sheet. However, in the industry the individual votes.

the study shows that Even financially be beautiful of the houses would be worth

In many cities have formed, however, citizens ' initiatives against the change in Mature neighbourhoods by faceless residential blocks in protest. To them it is mostly about the Aesthetics and the associated quality of life. In fact, a Reflection would be worth it on the classic urban planning for both the construction industry and municipalities, possibly even financially. With the FOCUS Online loans comparison (display) Now follow-on funding

the Chemnitz University of technology went a few years ago, the question to calculate, what is the meaning of ugliness for the value of a property. Result: "avant-garde buildings - in particular, but in the 70s, built in the post-war building - are clearly less attractive, perceived as the classic old building", - stated in the summary of the 2014 study published. "There are objective beauty, and people feel more comfortable and have a higher willingness-to-pay."

housing industry: cost pressure promotes uniform housing

But instead of thinking in the long term, and to make the policy almost everywhere, quite obviously, from the construction industry, the way to explain it. The is primarily interested in short-term yields and the debt to the face and pushes loose the Monotony of German new areas of the city, in turn, the policy is in the shoes.

only the Federal Association of German housing and real estate enterprises (GdW) published a study on the topic. The quite expected result: The pressure on costs and bureaucracy, which contribute to the uniformity of many of the new district in Germany. "Growing economic pressures have also, of course, on the design of buildings," said GdW President Axel Gedaschko.

building codes have evolved since 1990

quadrupled the influx Of people into Urban areas make housing and land more desirable as Well, so Gedaschko "The ground is so extremely expensive that every penny must be turned around for the affordable new building three times." As a Federal offer wide umbrella organisation for many of the cooperatives and municipal companies, the affordable housing is affected by the GdW especially. So you Finance your home, Our PDF guide shows you how to find cheap loans, pitfalls to bypass and get money from the state.To the PDF guide

Gedaschko a "rising standards and standard flood is complaining of" housing: In the past 30 years, the number of building regulations have quadrupled to around 20,000. "This drives the cost of construction and provides for a greater pressure on the part of the builders to build as efficiently as possible."

architects, copy Standards instead of New things

For the unification of the cities contributes to the evaluation of the GdW President, but also the modernization of existing buildings. "Here, above all, the enormous cost pressure, it is in the politically highly desirable, and climate policy, the necessary energy renovation. Tenants should be minimized as far as possible.“ The lead in many cases to a reduction in the diversity of the appearance.

the architects can't think of New revelations. "If you look at residential, or economic buildings in the world, so looking back on the past 50 to 70 years the process of internationalization and, consequently, an approximation of the architectural styles," said Gedaschko.

Reinforcing architectural fashion trends had: "Quite a target you can recognize on the basis of the type of construction the year of construction," said Gedaschko. "There is a certain degree of 'pressure of the main streams', where you can escape as a planner, but then it can build to get a recognition for your work." Display

"Mr. Dax" warns investors: "After the recovery of the great horror" FOCUS Online stock market professional, in an Interview: "Mr. Dax" warns investors: "After the recovery of the great horror"

pom/dpa comes

Date Of Update: 31 May 2020, 09:27
NEXT NEWS