The Evolution of Apartments

The 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

1: circulation
2: lobby
3: living
4: bedroom
5: scullery
6:WC

Rapid industrialization and dramatic rise in

population in 19th century, London led to lack of
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 societys first housing experiment 5 storey

block, Streatham street , Bloomsbury , London
designed by Henry Roberts (1849)
Housing by Henry Roberts (1849)

Cesar Daly, France

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
(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

densities were acceptable

Simultaneously Garden city movement was happening

in the suburbs.

Similar concept of shared facilities in France (following

Paris Exhibition 1889)

the

idea

that

high

1:coachway
2: vestibules
3: stairs
4: concierge
5:courtyard
6: lightwells
7: storage

8: stables
9: service stairs
10: petit salon
11: grand salon
12: dining
13: bedroom
14: Kitchen

What was happening in American then?

As the docks got crowded in Manhatten,
the rich moved further north leaving
their houses to be subdivided and
given to immigrants
The emerging middle class in New
York could not afford to buy row houses
and didnt prefer the tenements
solution Apartments
The rich had to accommodate servants
in the attic
Architects looked to France for
inspiration
Ar. Richard Morris Hunt in 1869
designed NYs First Apartment
building the Stuyvesant
Development of the French Flats
(1875) self contained units
Were not appreciated by the Americans
due to lack of privacy
Led to the development of Apartment
Hotels (1920s)
Discontinued due to regulation
By the end of 19th century apartments
were built for all
1884 - height regulations imposed

The Stuyvesant
1: main stair hall
2: back stair hall
3: private hall
4: parlour
5: dining
6: chamber
7: servants room
8: kitchen

2 flats, separate
circulation for
servants
Designed for the
rich

French flats
Separation
of
bedrooms
and
parlour is less than
acceptable
Usually 5-6 storeys
Lack 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:
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 overlooking
park.
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 apartment
design.

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 SantElia worked on innovative factory and commercial building designs
French, Toni Garniers Cite Industrielle (1917)
Germany, Ludwig Hilberseimers Hochhausstadt (1924) proposed similar vertical layering
Henry Sauvages 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
lEspirit 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 Sauvages , Ziggurat shaped hotel

Weissenhof Siedlung , Mies Van de Rohe

1: main stairs
2: living
3: bedroom
4: kitchen
5: shower
6: coal storage

 1932 Werkbund exhibition, Vienna, Andre

Lurcats small footprint , walkup.
1933-35 Highpoint London, first apartment to
display early Modernist ideals, double
cruciform plan with 2 circulation cores, pilotis
(stilt)
1937-39 the Palace Gate Flats, London used
innovative Split Level Sections
1930 Russia, Moisei Ginsburgs Narkomfin
apartment building, double heighted spaces
Highpoint London

Post II World War

1947 London, Churchill Gardens Estate in
Pimlico used, RCC frame structure to install
central heating & fireplace flues
1946 - Chicago, Mies Van de Rohe , 20 storeyPromontory Apartments, RCC framed structure
1949-51- 26 storey Lake Shore Drive
Apartments used curtain walling
1952 France, Le Corbusier, Unite d
Habitation in Marseilles, perfected duplex flats
using 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 Federation
sponsored experimental house by Frederick Gibberd
using light weight steel fabrication techniques,
and concrete floor slabs
1950s 1960s use of standard , pre fabricated
materials, steel structures like tubular steel
frames and steel decking
As seen in Raphael Sarianos experimental unit
development
1959-1960 Pierre Koenig standard components
1970s using modules and complete dwelling
fabricated off site
Nagakin Capsule Tower, Tokyo (1972) uses concerte
core structural tower while supports minipods or
capsules.
1990s Microflats concept introduced by John
Prewer, size of modular units based on size of
shipping containers

Nagakin Capsule Tower

Lets Recap the timeline

1877 - 1st apartment for

wealthy by Richard
Norman Shaw

England

the importance of architects in

apartment design established

Henry Roberts (1849)

Self contained units
Transition from gothic & classical
architecture to influence of Arts and
Crafts Movement (end of 19th
Century)

Peabody Trust (1862)

Concierge blocks with
shared facilities

1920 s

1860-1880

End of 19th century

Dawn of 20th Century

1849
America
Richard Morris Hunt,

NY, 1869-1875
French Flats

French Societe Francaise

des Habitations a Bon
Marche (1889)
France

France influences USA

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

Late 19th century America

apartments for all

Vertical
zoning
introduced in 1920s
1922 - Le Corbusier
exhibited
ville
contemporaine

England

1933-35 Highpoint London, first

apartment
to
display
early
Modernist ideals / stilt/ Cruciform
plan to maximize external wall area

Building regulations were

introduced

1920 s

1947 London, Churchill Gardens

Estate, RCC frame structure to
install central heating fireplace
flues

1937-39 the Palace

Gate
Flats
used
innovative Split Level
Sections

1940 s

1930 s

1950 s

Post WW II
Use of RCC and
Framed
structure
introduced in Paris
exhibition 1925
1927 - Mies Van de Rohe
achieved Flexible Plan
within uniform facade

Europe & America

1946 - Chicago, Mies

Van de Rohe , 20
storey- RCC framed
structure

20 th Century
1952 France, Le
Corbusier, Unite d
Habitation in
Marseilles

1949-51- 26 storey Lake

Shore Drive Apartments ,
curtain walling

1969 london, Frederick

Gibberd, light weight steel
fabrication techniques

pre fabrication, mass

construction and high
rise

1950 - 1960 s

1990s Microflats concept

introduced by John Prewer
1970s using modules and
complete dwelling fabricated
off site

1970 s

High
Density
Apartments

1990 s

20 th Century

21 st Century
1959-1960 Pierre Koenig
standard components

1950s 1960s - Raphael

Sarianos experimental unit
development ,use of standard
pre fabricated materials, steel
structures

Nagakin Capsule Tower, Tokyo (1972)

uses concerte core to support capsules.

21st century

Population explosion
has led to rise in density
Apartments designed to
achieve high density
developments

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 Town
Most new apartments are for higher income groups

Jindal House, Kolkata

1. Idea popularized in 1970s

structures came up around
Southern
Avenue
and
GariahatAvenue
House
(1970),
Sarobar
(1971),
Ananda (1972), Greenview
(1974), Meghmallar (1978)
2. The
second
phase
of
development came in 80s
(Ratnabali, Golf Green etc)
around Chak Garia and E.M.
Bypass then Park Street, works
of Ar. Dulal Mukherjee like
Himadri Apartments were
seen then.
3. The
3rd
Phase
development of Rajarhat

was

3
2
1

Cesar Daly, France (1864)

huge courtyard at Basu Bati (1874)

Built by first qualified Bengali
engineer Nilmani Mitra

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 & Crafts

Movement by the end of 19th Century.

This elaborate, wedding-cake structure was purpose-built by Calcutta-based

contractors Mackintosh Burn & Co as the headquarters of Whiteaway, Laidlaw &
Co;

its architecture, sheer size and prominent corner position were intended to attract
buyers.

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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