Klusterwohnen Wabenhaus

What’s the most wasted space in any room? Probably the junction between the walls and the ceiling, typically occupied only by spiders and their hapless prey. But what if you could gift that space to another room, and borrow some at a more usable height?

As with many of the best design concepts, nature got there first. This arrangement leads to a honeycomb: a hexagonal shape stacked into a diagonal grid. The idea of breaking out of the four-sided box has long appealed to the German architect Peter Haimerl. “We spend so much of our lives in digital spaces. But ordinary living is more or less the same as it was 50 years ago. The ground is flat, we put a house on it, then we put a chair in it, and so on.

I thought, why is it like this? When I was young, I did some research about how we could improve life in dense cities. One of the ideas was that we should leave the ground, inhabit higher spaces, like walls – discover this third dimension.” Haimerl has developed these thoughts into a prototype housing development, the Klusterwohnen Wabenhaus – or co-living honeycomb house – in the Reim district of Munich. The Wabenhaus comprises 22 apartments, from 22m² studios to a 106m² four-bed family home – all contained within a diagrid of 17 hexagonal tubes.

A promotional video for the concept shows a small rectilinear living room, 4.5m wide and 2.65m high, slowly morph into a Wabenhaus module. The side walls fold in slightly at the top and bottom, creating a central crease that is then pulled out until the room is 6.6m across the centre. The once-vertical walls slope outwards at a 160˚ angle before doubling back on themselves. Bespoke slanting furniture climbs the walls, effectively extending the floor space. The larger apartments are split, mezzanine-like, over 1.5 levels with openings in the lower wall that step down to the adjoining cell. “You can combine the spaces as you like,” says Haimerl.

This creates 1.3 times more space, he adds. “The apartments just look much bigger – you can have two connected spaces, and instead of 9m [with vertical walls] it’s 11m wide.” Because of the way the modules stretch out and overlap, a 4m by 11m apartment across two units actually generates 50m² of living space, rather than 44m². Haimerl describes this as “the space miracle”.

The Reim Wabenhaus has been built using precast and in-situ concrete in an off-the-shelf twinwall system more commonly found in basement construction. Haimerl, whose previous concrete projects include the Blaibach Concert Hall in Bavaria (CQ 253, Autumn 2015), has embraced the industrial finish of the precast outer leaves, which provide the skewed stage for various everyday activities, from sleeping to working.

The regular cell-like structure lends itself to a manufacturing- and-assembly approach, and Haimerl is now looking to roll out the Wabenhaus as an adaptable modular system for use in different settings. “Sometimes it’s even better in small spaces. Because it can connect in four directions, upwards and downwards, we can build over roads and existing structures.”

The basic unit of the modular system, known as “the hoodie”, comprises the top three sides of the hexagon. Resembling a splayed table, this is precast in one mould from 140mm-deep concrete stiffened with 40mm ribs. The space between the ribs is filled with clay- based natural insulation. The units are stackable, enabling efficient delivery by flat-bed truck, and “click” together on site, a cast-in 160˚ joint slotting the foot of each unit into the outer corner of the hoodie below. “You can easily recycle it – you take off the hoodie, separate the layers and use them again.”

The system was trialled on the Munich scheme, forming the building’s self- supporting balcony units. The modular company will also produce the furniture, specifically designed to save space by fixing to, or resting against, the walls. Super- light foam sofas can be arranged in different configurations. Triangular elements, which bolt directly into soft spots in the wall, can be used as shelving or platforms for chairs and desks, and to conceal electric cables. Bathrooms and circulation areas are manufactured as separate rectilinear pods, known as “crates”, which form a linear service core at the rear of the building.

It may be a new way of living, but Haimerl hopes the Wabenhaus taps into traditional ideas of community. The Munich co-living scheme includes a shared kitchen and dining area, as well as a bicycle workshop, a grocery store and a rooftop terrace. All of the flats open off a “grand staircase” which steps diagonally up the length of the honeycomb structure. “I wanted a structure which shows community,” says Haimerl. “If we live in boxes, each box is separated from the next.

There are only two possibilities to connect them. The honeycomb, on the other hand, is woven together.” It offers another, often overlooked advantage too: “Living isn’t just rational. We need to live in exciting spaces. They should be fun!”

Interview by Nick Jones

Photos Edward Beierle