As a modern interpretation of the terrace house this project might not get a second look in terms of entry sequence. The incorporation of the car, however, sets this project apart and introduces a new type. The terraces include a driveway leading to a garage down a steep slope. There are two parallel paths, one for pedestrians and one for the car. Alongside the Isokon Building what is transforming is the front territories of housing from a purely pedestrian space and extension of the street into one that is connected to and overlapping with the road. Because of the scale of this project, the impact is minimal. The slope downward minimises the impact of the garage door as the main entry signifier while the projecting windows and balcony emphasise the domestic elements of the housing. Lubetkin’s design is not only one of the first to deal with the problem of integrating the automobile but one of the few to have successfully negotiated it.
Schemas
- street (city) ⇒ cross gap in low wall (boundary) ⇒ walk down path & steps ⇒ door niche ⇒ front door
- street (city) ⇒ drive down driveway ⇒ park ⇒ walk across to footpath ⇒ door niche ⇒ front door
Unit identity
- Strong
- Black & white image courtesy of the London Metropolitan Archive (https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk).
- Street Views courtesy of Google Maps.
- Last colour image from http://www.themodernhouse.com
- Plans and black & white image from Berthold Lubetkin: Architecture and the tradition of progress, John Allan, RIBA Publications, 1992.
- Map courtesy of OS Digimap.
Bibliography
See also:
- Willow Road 1940 (Erno Goldfinger) London
- The Ryde Courtyard Houses 1964 (Randall & Parkes) Hatfield
- Lamble Street 1980 (Benson & Forsyth) London
Previous Entry 24. Isokon Building/Lawn Road Flats
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