Rationality,economy,and efficiency:The origin and development of the minimum dwelling
The origin of the concept of minimal dwelling can be traced back to 19th-century Europe,where it was originally intended to solve the housing problem in cities,to eliminate slums and to provide housing for the vast working class.Among many countries,Germany pioneered the concept of minimal dwelling in practice.Architects like Ernst May led the construction of residential areas in Frankfurt around 1926,providing minimal living spaces suitable for single-family households.The interiors of these residences featured modernized bathrooms and kitchens,enhancing the efficiency of residents'lives.Externally,these dwellings departed from the peripheral layout in European cities,adopting a zeilenbau(rows-based layout)to ensure good lighting and ventilation.From this perspective,minimal dwelling emerged as a rational and economic response to people's basic housing needs,emphasizing efficiency in the spatial layout,and simplifying decoration in design for economic reasons.Such designs improved the efficiency of housing construction and influenced residents'lifestyles,turning housing into a"living machine".While the theoretical foundation and early practices of minimal dwelling originated in Western Europe,the concept found extensive application in the Soviet Union,the largest socialist country at the time.In the early 1930s,the Soviet Union engaged in intense discussions regarding socialist urban forms and settlements.During this period,European avant-garde architects,including Ernst May,actively participated in Soviet socialist urban planning and housing design.Although many modernist architectural ideas were halted with Stalin's call for"building socialist realism"in the 1930s,modernist architecture,especially in housing,experienced a revival in the 1950s under Nikita Khrushchev's rule.Facing severe housing shortages in the Soviet Union,housing designs during the Khrushchev era largely embraced the principles of minimal dwelling.These so-called Khrushchyovka were designed to compress internal space to the extreme,with the height of the floors and the size of the kitchens and bathrooms all being more tightly controlled.Unlike the Stalinist kvartal pursuit of continuous urban interfaces,completion,and decorative effects,Khrushchyovka adopted free layouts and unadorned facades to further reduce the cost of construction.Due to the better economy and the prefabricated construction methods,this housing type was widely spread in a short period,profoundly impacting mass housing design in socialist countries,including China.Even after countries emerged from the post-World War II housing shortage,discussions and practices related to minimal dwelling persisted.In the context of urbanization and the siphoning effect of big cities,the post-1960s era witnessed two new trends in minimal housing development.One trend moved towards higher densities,exemplified by Hong Kong's public housing projects.Faced with limited land resources,these projects pushed housing towards higher densities.Simultaneously,they extensively adopted modular design and prefabricated construction methods to expedite construction.At the community level,public housing developments provided comprehensive amenities,including commercial,educational,and public transportation facilities.Another trend explored the interaction between housing and technological innovation,demonstrating the interplay between housing and technological change.Architects like Buckminster Fuller drew inspiration from cars and rockets to conceive the Dymaxion House,while Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa used prefabricated capsule designs for a"growable"Nakagin Capsule Tower.Nowadays,with the development of society and the improvement of people's living standards,the meaning of minimal dwelling has evolved.While still meeting the basic needs of residents,there is a growing emphasis on well-designed public spaces to enhance the artistic characteristics of residential areas.Improved environmental quality directly affects the quality of life for residents.Carefully designed public spaces can stimulate interactions among residents,promoting community communication.Additionally,as part of the city's aesthetics,residential areas contribute to the overall landscape quality.In Chinese cities with high-density living environments,recent examples,such as the Bo Yu of Vanke Cloud City project in Shenzhen and Bai Wan Jia Yuan public housing project in Beijing,showcase a new development direction for minimal housing.In conclusion,although the development of minimal dwelling has undergone a lengthy process with continually enriched meanings and increasing diversity in forms,the underlying principles of"rationality,economy,and efficiency"seem to connect different periods of minimal dwelling.Designing and constructing living spaces with rational thinking to achieve maximum economic efficiency has the potential to alter residents'habits,improve life efficiency,and consequently enhance societal efficiency.This paper follows this thread,starting from the origins of minimal dwelling,focusing on its developmental changes at different stages,aiming to elucidate the concept and development of minimal dwelling,providing relevant references for today's housing design and residential area planning.