The houses were built as a part of the experimental, model housing estate accompanying the WuWA exhibition, which is an excellent example of the implementation of modern trends in European urban planning and architecture of the 1920s.

History

The buildings were all erected in 1929. The individual sections were designed by different architects.

The houses at 6, 8 and 10 Tramwajowa street (WuWA houses no. 10, 11 and 12) were designed by Ludwig Moshamer, with interiors by H. E. Fritsche (WuWA house no. 11), Pohl Oels (WuWA house no. 12); the garden was designed by Paul Hatt.

The houses at 12, 14 and 16 Tramwajowa street (WuWA houses no. 13, 14 and 15) were designed by Heinrich Lauterbach, with gardens designed by Paul Hatt.

The houses at 18 and 20 Tramwajowa street (WuWA houses no. 16 and 17) were designed by Moritz Hadda, with interiors by Heinrich Tischler.

The houses at 22, 24 and 26 Tramwajowa street (WuWA houses no. 18, 19 and 20) were designed by Paul Häusler, who also designed the interiors.

The houses at 28 and 30 Tramwajowa street (WuWA houses no. 21 and 22) were designed by Theodor Effenberger, with Ulrich Roediger and Paul Hatt being responsible for the design of the interiors and the gardens respectively.

Description

The buildings contain simple, economical apartments with a minimised frontal width, similarly disposed with regard to the surface, albeit with different interior layouts. The daytime section of each apartment with kitchen, linked to the garden via the terrace, was invariably located on the ground floor, with the bedrooms and bathroom facilities being placed on the first floor. During the years that followed, some of the entrances became enclosed through the addition of small wind porches, while the terraces facing the gardens were converted into solid structures; in some of the gardens, free-standing garages were erected. The walls of some of the houses were covered with thermal insulation and new plasterwork. All of the buildings are cuboid in shape, their design being simple and minimalist; the houses are two-storey structures with basements, covered with flat roofs, their walls clad with plaster.

6, 8, 10 Tramwajowa street: three identical single-family houses, designed for office workers and their families (although they could also accommodate a single servant). The section encompasses three apartments with a surface area of 86 square metres each.

12, 14, 16 Tramwajowa street: three single-family houses with identical surface but with different floor plans, each designed for a family of 2-4, with no servant. The section encompasses three apartments with a surface area of 91 square metres each.

18, 20 Tramwajowa street: two single-family houses with identical surface but with different floor plans, each designed for a middle-class family; house no. 18 was designed for a childless couple with a servant, while house no. 20 was earmarked for a family of five (no servant). The section encompasses two apartments with a surface area of 86.07 square metres each.

22, 24, 26 Tramwajowa street: three single-family houses with identical surface and similar floor plans, each designed for a family with no servant. The section encompasses three apartments with a surface area of 78 square metres each.

28, 30 Tramwajowa street: corner section of the ensemble, encompassing two single-family houses with different outlines and floor plans; house no. 28 was designed for a large family with a servant. The section encompasses two apartments with different surface areas; house no. 28 has a surface area of 148.86 square metres, while house no. 30 originally had a surface area of 94.2 square metres. House no. 28 was designed as a two-storey house with a single-storey atelier, while house no. 30 was designed as a single-storey house built on a rectangular floor plan. After 1945, the entire section was converted into a multi-family house, its overall shape being almost totally redesigned through the addition of a second storey (house no. 30) and the extension of house no. 28.

The individual sections feature different construction techniques:

6, 8, 10 Tramwajowa street: brick basement walls, ground floor and first floor walls made using reinforced concrete posts with aerated concrete block infills. Flat roof and ceilings (known as Ackermann ceilings) made of breeze blocks. "Rexitekt” roof cladding.

12, 14, 16 Tramwajowa street: brick basement walls, ground floor walls made of cinder brick, inner partition walls made using cinder concrete panels. Flat ceilings made of cinder blocks.

18, 20 Tramwajowa street: brick basement walls, ground floor and first floor walls made using reinforced concrete posts with cinder block infills. Flat, double ceilings (Brandt ceilings) made of reinforced concrete.

22, 24, 26 Tramwajowa street: brick peripheral walls, plasterboard partition walls. Brick infill ceilings. Roof clad with roofing felt.

28, 30 Tramwajowa street: external walls made using the “Kilgus” technique and lined with Kerament tiles; interior partition walls: plasterboard walls as well as walls designed using the “Prüss” and “Schugk” techniques. Flat ceilings (Ackermann ceilings). Flat roof with a wooden roof truss above a hollow, enclosed space, “Rexitekt” cladding.

Limited access to the historic building. Private property - interior tours not available. The housing estate can only be viewed from the outside.

compiled by Bogna Oszczanowska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 07-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Urbanik J., Wrocławska wystawa Werkbundu WUWA 1929-2009, Wrocław 2009, pp. 332-354.