Abstract:
The invention presents the concept of a residential building which is constructed on the principle of staggered dwellings. The staggered dwellings each have a single-storey dwelling part ( 10, 23 ) and a two-storey dwelling part ( 11 ) with outdoor area. The living area ( 10  and  11 ) of the dwelling is open and allows individual living requirements to be realized with a variability which has not been known up until now. The division of space is not fixed by the static system. The type of accommodation presented can be realized in all types of urban construction such as blocks of flats, block-edge developments or high-rise buildings from two storeys upwards. The sizes of dwellings may be determined in accordance with the location and the target group. Combining the accommodation with service-related and commercial use is made possible in a completely new way using this principle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a residential building with staggered dwellings according to the preamble of Patent Claim  1 . 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Many people dream of having their own house or flat. The accommodation available for the middle classes is made up of houses that are at a relatively large distance from urban agglomeration, of terraced housing closer to urban agglomeration or of rented and bought flats in the town or city or in suburbs. Flats which are available today in town and city centres are not only expensive but also, in many cases, are not attractive to those who are not keen on typically urban buildings. 
   Living space had to be created quickly in the years following the Second World War. In today&#39;s terms, bland residential buildings with dwellings were constructed. Architecture which was popular at the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, and in which the facade of a house reflected the use of the latter, was lost. The facades were featureless and uniform. The facade was the same from the ground floor to the top floor and, if this is possible, the blandness was even emphasized by a flat roof. Even if the uniformity was combated at a later date with specific facade designs, a block with dwellings can only be rendered interesting to the observer by additional outlay and associated extra costs. 
   Maisonettes do indeed provide living-space alternatives, but do little to influence the facade design. Residential buildings with flats or maisonettes make good use of the urban areas available. The living quality, however, automatically suffers if construction is dominated by bland and monotonous blocks of flats. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is the aim with all known types of accommodation such as “maisonettes”, “split-level dwellings” or Corbusier&#39;s “Unité d&#39;habitation” to increase the amount of space available. In these types of dwelling, however, the various storeys are always rendered accessible via internal staircases. This restricts the opportunity for adaptation to individual living-style requirements. 
   Since individualism and affluence permit it, it is also the case nowadays that people seek to realize their personal individuality in their living space. This results in the population moving to the suburbs or even to the country, where freely designable living space is still available and affordable. This inevitably results in the countryside being overdeveloped, with less dense building on the space available. The overdevelopment of the countryside also leads to the countryside becoming “clogged up”. The traffic infrastructures for private vehicles likewise have to be constantly expanded. 
   It is frequently the case that very poor use is made of living space in old buildings or old factories in towns and cities. In towns and cities, for example, disused factories, warehouses and workshops are converted into living areas. This conversion preserves the structural substance of the available buildings, but does not make optimum use of the land available. Many people have become aware of such possibilities in recent years. On account of poor use being made of the space, however, the need can only be satisfied for an affluent minority of the population. In order to provide the necessary living space to meet these requirements, the relatively large areas of the former industrial spaces are divided up and converted into dwellings. The interesting and attractive feature of this living space is provided by the large rooms and the high ceilings, which let in a large amount of light and give a good sense of space. It is not uncommon for these, in “normal conditions”, to be from 3.5 m to 4 m for print shops and workshops and from 4 m to 6 m for former factories. 
   For dwellings and residential buildings which are to be newly constructed, for financial reasons, there is no question of building dwellings with such ceiling heights. Other possibilities are therefore sought, and found, albeit with the disadvantage that most models are two-storey living areas, two single-storey living areas being rendered accessible by staircases in the region of the living areas. Many of the known types of accommodation do not give the feeling of freedom and the possibilities for the individual utilization of an open system allowing flexible design of space. 
   Industrial buildings, with their need for a large continuous surface area, have always been constructed with an outer shell and a roof, the roof being borne by supports. The supports interrupt the useful floor space at certain points. It is possible, in principle, for the surface area available to be divided up, in an absolutely flexible manner, by easily removable partition walls or to be utilized as a whole. 
   The demographic make-up of the population is characterized by increasing numbers of elderly people. Households can be divided up into a third for those living on their own, a further third for couples and a third for families or house shares with three or more people. At the same time, in Central Europe, the amount of living area required over the last 50 years has increased by 1 m 2  per person every two years. Older generations avoid old people&#39;s homes and usually only move after having reached the age of 80, and even then usually for medical reasons, often into care homes. 
   The need which arises from this is an alternative, denser type of construction in urban areas with a large amount of individual design freedom. The residents&#39; need for their own private space should not be forgotten. 
   The new Röntgenareal building, by Isa Stürm and Urs Wolf, by Zurich&#39;s main railway station is an example of an attempt to provide attractive residential buildings with dwellings with single-storey living areas. Nine seven-storey residential buildings have been set up on an area at the edge of the track of Zurich&#39;s station which, until developed, was used as a storage area. The individual buildings are offset in relation to one another. The space between them is affected by the noise of the railway. The dwellings occupy the four corners and are thus directed towards two sides. 
   The ground floor of these urban residential buildings is occupied by dwellings and front gardens. The status of the free space is thus ambiguous. On the one hand, it belongs to everybody, and is therefore public, and on the other hand it also belongs to the tenants of these ground-floor dwellings. This combination of functions reduces the value of the areas between the residential buildings which are intended for the public. The tenants of the ground-floor dwellings try to achieve a bit of private space with hedges and small walls. The same goes on the balconies. The direct view in means that the tenants are always on public view as they go about living in the dwellings and moving on the balconies and in front of the ground-floor flats. 
   The uniformity of the facades and of the dwellings, the constant lack of total privacy and the associated lack of clear expression restricts the living quality in such urban residential buildings, even though public space will be provided. There is an absence of individual design possibilities and of availability of a variety of different living spaces in the same residential building, which could be achieved with a corresponding type of accommodation. The same applies to the outdoor area (terrace). It is only when the latter affords a certain amount of protection from prying eyes and is noise-proofed that the outdoor area can be defined as “private” and utilized and, in particular, regarded as such by the residents. 
   The object of the present invention, then, is to use an open system to provide a living area of the type mentioned in the introduction such that, in each unit, a two-storey dwelling part and outdoor area (terrace) are available, a relatively large amount of space is available specifically in the third dimension (room height), the advantages of dense construction are maintained and it is possible to realize variations in all sizes of living space, levels of comfort and the individual design of dwellings. 
   This object is achieved by a residential building with staggered dwellings having the features of Patent Claim  1 . Further features according to the invention can be gathered from the dependent claims, and the advantages thereof are explained in the following description. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawing: 
       FIG. 1  shows a dwelling with an illustration of the surface areas. 
       FIG. 2  shows two dwellings with the single-storey living areas overlapping. 
       FIG. 3  shows two dwellings with the single-storey living areas overlapping. 
       FIG. 4  shows two dwellings with a large single-storey living area. 
       FIG. 5  shows a residential building with staggered dwellings. 
       FIG. 6  shows a residential building with staggered dwellings. 
       FIG. 7  a facade of a residential building with staggered dwellings. 
       FIG. 8  shows a section through a residential building with a shop area, an office area and staggered dwellings. 
       FIG. 9  shows a plan view of a ground-floor shop area. 
       FIG. 10  shows a plan view of an office level. 
       FIG. 11  shows a plan view of a storey with staggered dwellings. 
       FIG. 12  shows the incidence of light in a dwelling with a single-storey living area. 
       FIG. 13  shows the incidence of light in the two-storey dwelling part of a staggered dwelling. 
       FIG. 14  shows the incidence of light in the two-storey dwelling part of a staggered dwelling. 
   

   The figures illustrate preferred exemplary embodiments which will be explained by way of the following description. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In the residential building with staggered dwellings on which the invention is based, each dwelling  1  has a two-storey dwelling part  11  and a single-storey dwelling part  10 . The way in which the surface area  100  of the single-storey dwelling part  10  is divided up may be largely adapted to requirements. The two-storey dwelling part  11  is divided up and has a two-storey living area  13  and a two-storey outdoor area  12 . Each dwelling  1  thus gains extra space in comparison with conventional residential buildings. 
   The two high, two-storey areas, the living area  13  and outdoor area  12 , are located one beside the other or one behind the other and thus allow extensive plan development. 
   The incidence of light into the inner zones allows a variety of different uses in the generously dimensioned single-storey dwelling part  10 . By virtue of the outer appearance of the residential building which arises from the play between the single-storey dwelling part  10  and the two-storey dwelling part  11 , an absolutely new sense of individuality, namely the individuality of the residential building with staggered dwellings ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ), is expressed in the facade. This individuality is system-specific and is not dependent on expensive facade designs. 
   A dwelling  1 , which forms the basis of the system of a residential building with staggered dwellings, is shown in  FIG. 1 . The dwelling  1  in  FIG. 1 , illustrated as a standard module, comprises two dwelling parts, a single-storey dwelling part  10  and a two-storey dwelling part  11 . The surface area  100  of the single-storey dwelling part  10  is at least equal to, but usually greater than, the surface area  110 , indicated by F, of the two-storey dwelling part  11 . The two-storey dwelling part  11  is approximately double the height of the single-storey dwelling part  10  and is divided up into an outdoor area  12  and an indoor area  13 . The outdoor area  12  is always directed towards a facade side of the residential building. The surface area of the single-storey dwelling part  10  will be greater, for practical reasons, than that of the two-storey dwelling part  11 . However, all the single-storey dwelling parts  10  on one level of a residential building with staggered dwellings will have the same total surface area  100 . The way in which the region of the single-storey dwelling parts  10  is divided up can be freely selected and can thus be adapted, with a high level of flexibility, to the respective requirements. 
   If the plans are based, for example, on two 4-room dwellings, it is possible, with most types, for at least one room to be optionally assigned to the neighbouring dwelling. The accommodation available is thus made up of three-room, four-room and 5-room dwellings. Like the size of dwelling, it is also possible for the standard of comfort to be adapted to the specific requirements in each case. Examples of this are as follows: direct lift access into the dwellings, increasing the size of the outdoor area  12  to the detriment of the two-storey living area  13 , the availability of a cooling system, the installation of a fireplace and chimney etc., the open construction system in the basic state allows individual completion work by the tenant. The way in which rooms are divided up, the type of kitchen and sanitary zones, and the design of floors, walls, ceilings and installations may thus be freely selected. 
   The surface area of the two-storey dwelling part  11  is the same for all dwellings  1  in a residential building with staggered dwellings. Different residential buildings with staggered dwellings, however, may have two-storey dwelling parts  11  with different surface areas  110 . The two-storey dwelling parts  11  always rise above a level. They are arranged alternately, which is evident from the drawings. 
     FIG. 2  shows how, in the case of the construction system according to the invention, a second dwelling  1 ′ with a single-storey dwelling part  10 ′ and a two-storey dwelling  11 ′ ends up located over the surface area  110 / 100 / 110 ′, with a offset in relation to the dwelling  1 . Both dwellings  1  and  1 ′ are located over the surface area  100 . While the lower dwelling  1 ′ rests on the surface areas  100  and  110 ′, the dwelling  1  has the surface area  100  located above the dwelling  1 ′. Beneath the two-storey dwelling part  11 , the surface area  110  is free by the height of the single-storey dwelling part  10 ′. The size of the single-storey dwelling part  10 ′ may be increased such that it fills the surface area  110  beneath the two-storey dwelling part  11 . In the lowermost-storey, this area may also be utilized as a storage or service area. Examples of how the surface area of the single-storey dwelling part  10  can be extended are shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
   Residential buildings with staggered dwellings are based on a completely new urban concept. In a densely populated environment, the desire for living space goes hand in hand with the demand for commercial areas such as local shops and offices. The residents of such areas naturally want a calm and natural environment of individual design. This demand is ideally met by the system of the residential building with staggered dwellings according to the invention. Nature may be brought into the dwelling to a certain extent; indeed, the ceiling height in the two-storey dwelling part is such that it is possible to keep even relatively large plants. In respect of rail and road traffic, the concept of designing a self-contained building makes it possible to protect the living areas against noise. 
   Access to all the storeys of a building according to the invention is ensured via the staircase and lift installations  40  ( FIG. 9 ). The drawings each depict a lift, the number of lifts and also the number of necessary staircases depending on the overall concept of the building. This type of design makes it possible to provide the upper dwellings with direct lift access without any additional outlay. 
     FIG. 8  illustrates a cross section of a residential building with a shop area  52 , an office area  51  and staggered dwellings  50 . The lowermost storeys, illustrated in  FIG. 8  by the ground-floor storey, are constructed with a greater ceiling height, are on one level and, as is shown in  FIG. 9 , extend over the entire surface area of the building. These storeys are ideally suited for use as a shop area  52 . Artificial light is preferred for shop areas, with the result that the relatively poor incidence of light for a storey with a very large surface area does not matter. If the upper storeys of the building are designed with a facade recess  54 , the shop area  52  in this region may be provided with natural light through skylights  55 . On the ground floor, the shop area  52  may be supplemented by a covered exterior passageway  53  for the sale of promotional items, fresh vegetables or other articles which are to be made as accessible to the customer as possible. 
   The storeys directly above the shop areas  52  ( FIGS. 8 and 10 ) are likewise on a single level with freely designable partitioning for office areas  51 . The plan differs from that of the first storey in so far as the surface area of the facade is increased by the provision, for example, of a facade recess  54 . This makes it possible to achieve more office area  51  with direct incidence of natural light. 
   Above this, use is then made of the concept and system of the residential building with staggered dwellings according to the invention ( FIG. 11 ). It is also the case in this region that use is made of the large surface area of the facade in order to provide a lot of direct natural light. The two-storey living area  14  of the dwelling beneath projects into the storey plan  50 . 
   In this type of concept ( FIGS. 8 ,  9 ,  10  and  11 ), by way of example, it is possible to arrange four dwellings  1  on each storey without giving the effect of a “tower block”. Each dwelling has a two-storey living area and thus an outdoor area  12 . In this system, it is possible to construct “towers” with good accommodation availability which enrich the urban landscape and provide the residents with homely, interesting and individually designable living areas. 
   The incidence of light is a central advantage for the concept of the staggered dwellings according to the invention.  FIGS. 12 ,  13  and  14  illustrate in section how the system presented admits light right into the actual living space as a result of the height of the two-storey dwelling part  11 . The volume 30 which is not exposed to direct light ( FIGS. 12 ,  13  and  14 ) is greater. The double height of the outdoor area  12  arranged on the facade side ensures more light according to the invention.