HvdHA_spread_wbw_160_m_Realismus

1 February 2016 – The social houses at Oranjeboomstraat have drawn attention in Switzerland. The magazine Werk Bauen + Wohnen published an article by the architect Lukas Imhof under the title ‘160 Meter Realismus’. He characterizes the stacked maisonettes as an alternative to the housing typology of the suburb. Like the Netherlands, Switzerland is struggling with its urban growth, which is predominantly accommodated outside the existing city. According to Lukas Imhof, architects have to develop alternatives without discarding the domestic preferences of large parts of the public. He concludes his article by asserting: ‘Hans van der Heijden’s model gives people their house, their address, their front door, their gardens and, yes, also their parking lot – and a compact city to us all.’