Living needs
Let us take a look at the demands placed on a residential building from two
different perspectives:
1. from the perspective of physiological and psychological living needs
The physiological living needs:
Physiology: corresponding to the organic processes of life. This group contains the need for light,
air and sun in the apartment.
However, this is not everything: The individual needs include sleep, nourishment, hygiene and
regeneration which are all part of the function of living1 Sleep, physical- and sanitary care, the
preparation of food stuff and meals, relaxation and working.
The entire apartment can be divided up into areas accordingly: roughly in to a children’s area,
dining area, working area etc.
The psychological and social living needs:
These do not correspond to the natural living habits, but rather are values that are recognised in
our society as needs:
Approximately:
The need for comfort and security:
This is enabled through the furnishing of a corner of a room with a seating area.
The need for peace and tranquillity:
When installing the fittings it must be ensured that every inhabitant can retreat into his/her private
sphere where he/she is able to release pent-up energy or to be active.
Need for companionship:
It is typically the dining area that provides the most important communication centre in a family.
Modern, functional work/prep kitchens that provide no room for chit-chat create a strong sense of
discomfort and isolation among other family members present.
Need for self-expression:
The apartment has long overtaken the car as a status symbol. A beautiful apartment also has a
representative function for acquaintances and colleagues.
Need for self-realisation:
Every family member can realise his/her dreams. This can mean, for example, that the furnishings
were not simply taken from one specific brand of furniture, but rather from several creating a sense
of variety. Self-realisation can also mean that the mother has a work corner in which she can leave
her sewing work without having to tidy it up first; that there is a wall in the children’s room that
can be painted and drawn on, or that certain articles may be put or pinned up in the teenager’s
bedroom that do not necessarily correspond to the parents’ own taste.
The realisation of the most fundamental human needs is the real beginning of residence for the
individual. This should be considered in the planning phase from the very start. “ (Taken from: Wir
wohnen, Wohnen Wir? TR-Verlagsunion)
„The term „function of living“ describes...activities (such as e.g. cleaning the apartment) but also passive activities
(such as e.g. relaxing and sleeping) that are done both by the people in the apartment and the environment around the
apartment, in order to satisfy elementary needs.“ (Lukat, 1975, p. 114)
1
2. the functional organisation of human activities and needs.
Four areas:
1.
Communications area
2.
Individual area
3.
Hygiene area
4.
Hobby area.
1. Communications area
This area must be viewed in two parts, namely in the „Circle of Interaction“ and the „Circle of
Home Economics“.
Circle of Interaction
Relaxing, playing, eating, drinking, dancing, communication, information, listening, enjoying,
receiving visits from guests and friends.
Ideally, the communications area should consist of one large communal room and at least one
children’s playroom. Moreover, a dining area should also be available. The dining area connects the
circles of interaction and home economics.
Circle of Home Economics:
This includes cooking, washing up, washing, cleaning, ironing, prep work, storage, repair work,
hobby cooking and watching over the children.
An open kitchen creates a greater level of involvement for the mother in the overall family activity.
From all home economic activities, cooking is the only one that could possibly become a hobby,
and also for the man of the house during his free time.
2. Individual Area
Circle of Information, learning and sleeping.
This includes sleeping, relaxing, sexual activities, reading, writing, listening, telephoning, having a
conversation, receiving guests and playing.
In order to guarantee the self-realisation of every household member, every apartment must – in
addition to the communications area – also contain an individual area. This individual area has a
separate room for every individual person. Assuming that the building is for residential purposes in
which approximately 25m² is set aside for every individual so that a separate room of 10-12m² is
imaginable.
If we then follow this ideal setup, every child will have their own room. We do not believe that
notions of one single all- purpose room will be achievable. The individual area will dominate. The
individual- and sleeping area would have to be the one area where the possibility of making it part
of the larger whole area is completely ruled out.
3. Hygiene Area
Circle of Rehabilitation
Personal grooming, playing sport, relaxing, meditation, intimate contact, perhaps also listening to
music, watching TV and reading.
The hygiene area should be extended to include a rehabilitation zone. The bathroom can become a
room of leisure in which people can spend longer periods of time after bathing.
4. Hobby Area
The area of interaction must also accommodate a hobby when it is best done in a group or in the
individual area when it is done by an individual.
These areas all have an individual residual value that can be taken from the individual behavioural
patterns of the residents.
Individual behavioural Orientation
The residential activities are subordinate to – as with all other activities – the behavioural
orientation of an individual.
There are approximately six individual main forms and many type combinations that can be
identified.
1. The Production-oriented Type (P)
Type P is a „do it yourself“ individual. He sees great value in preparing mealtimes himself, to cook
and wash alone.
Type P tends towards free time occupations such as craft work, making changes to the apartment
etc.
2. The Consumption Type (K)
Type K tends towards more passive free time activities such as reading, watching TV and
conversation. This Type reduces his/her contribution to household up keeping to a minimum. When
cooking, the advantages to be had from prepared ingredients and ready meals are gladly welcomed.
Any washing activities are passed on.
3. The Communal Type (G)
Type G tends towards wanting to conduct all household activities with other household members as
much as possible. Any housework is considered by this Type to be an integrated aspect of family
life.
4. The Separation-oriented Type (S)
Type S always attempts to complete tasks alone and with a high level of spatial separation.
Communication is reduced to a desired minimum. Type S sees great importance in the separated
individual area.
5. The Extrovert Type (Ö)
Type Ö chooses to establish a strong connection between himself and the surrounding environment
of the apartment and has a high level of communication with the other individuals within the
apartment. He gladly receives guests.
6. The Private-oriented Type (PV)
The Type PV communicates with those individuals not living in the apartment mostly outside of the
apartment itself. He does not attempt to sustain contact with the external environment and chooses
to close off the apartment from outside.
There are, of course, examples of overlap in such a rigid system of character types. Many
combinations are possible.
Fundamentally speaking, the residents of an apartment are not consumers of sleep, food stuff or
leisure activities. They are a group which, among one another, views itself as interacting with
acquaintances and the surrounding environment.
This new understanding must lead to an improved organisation of residential living space and to a
greater quality of life. (Schricker, 1973, p. 370)
Literature References for the Topic „Needs“:
Scherke, F.:
Zur Psychologie der Bedürfnisse
In:
Jahrbuch der Absatz- und Verbrauchsforschung
9. Jg. 1963, p. 9-20
Laage, Gerhart; Herr, Max-Walter:
Die Wohnung von heute für Ansprüche von Morgen
Definition und Entwicklung eines deutschen Wohnungsstandards
Gesellschaft für Wohnungs- und Siedlungswesen e.V. Hamburg
GEWOS-Schriftenreihe NEUE FOLGE 5
Hamburg 1971
(refer to: Section 4 Wohnbedürfnisse - Wohnverhalten, p. 49-68)
Misra, Surya, Kant:
Users’ Needs, Societal Patterns and Housing
1.
Users’ Needs as a Concept in Housing
2.
Impact of Societal Patterns on Housing
Report 3: 1972
Department of Building Functions Analysis
The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm
Stockholm 1972
Burri, Robert:
Wohnbedingungen und Wohnbedürfnisse - Ergebnisse einer empirischen Analyse
iup2
Universität Stuttgart, Arbeitberichte des Instituts für Umweltplanung, Ulm, September 1971
2nd edition
Ulm, Juni 1972
Patellis, Nikitas:
Über Wohnbedürfnisse
In:
BM-Forum
Baumeister, Issue 5, 1973, p. 581-594
REFA Methodenlehre des Arbeitsstudiums
Part 1
Chapter5
Menschliche Zusammenarbeit
5.1 Bedürfnisse und Verhaltensweisen des arbeitenden Menschen
p. 144-147
München 1973
Siebel, Walter:
Wohnbedürfnisse und Wohnbedürfnisforschung
In:
Schramke, Wolfgang; Strassel, Jürgen (Hrsg.)
Wohnen und Stadtentwicklung
Ein Reader für Lehrer und Planer
Geographische Hochschulmanuskripte, Issue 7/1: 388 pages
Oldenburg 1973
Schricker, E.A. Mensch und Technik in der Wohnung.
In:
Elektrizität, Issue 12, 1973, p. 370
Brock, Bazon:
Die Frage nach den “Bedürfnissen”
Am Beispiel der Wohnbedürfnisse
In:
Form, Nr. 79, 1973, p. 8-10
Nohl, Werner:
Zur Ermittlung planungsrelevanter Bedürfnisse
Dargestellt am Beispiel städtischer Freiräume
In:
Natur und Landschaft, 50. Jg., 1975, Issue 8/9, p. 228-236
Lukat, Angelika (Projektleitung):
Untersuchungen von Wohnbedürfnissen unter den Bedingungen wissenschaftlich-technischen,
wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Wandels „Zukunftstrends der Wohnbedürfnisse“
Phase I: Analyse des Problembereichs (Arbeitsbericht)
Forschungsbericht F 1295 im Auftrage des Bundesministers für Raumordnung Bauwesen und
Städtebau.
Heidelberg o.J.
Lukat, Angelika (Projektleitung):
Untersuchungen von Wohnbedürfnissen unter den Bedingungen wissenschaftlich-technischen,
wirtschaftlichen und gesellschaftlichen Wandels
Phase II: Bewertung und Kondensation alternativer Wohnbedürfniszukünfte
Forschungsbericht F 1295/1 im Auftrage des Bundesministers für Raumordnung Bauwesen und
Städtebau.
Heidelberg Dezember 1975
Grandjean, Etienne et al.:
Wohnen im Neubau
Verlag Paul Haupt
Bern und Stuttgart 1976, p. 9 - 10
Kaminski, Hans:
Unterrichtsmodelle zur Verbraucherbildung in Schulen
Modell 1: Bedürfnisse
Verlag Julius Klinkhardt
Bad Heilbrunn/Obb. 1981
Gasiet, Seev:
Menschliche Bedürfnisse
Eine theoretische Synthese
Campus Verlag
Frankfurt a. M. 1982
Schurig, Silvia:
Zu einigen Grundtendenzen der Bedürfnisentwicklung im Bereich der Wohnung
In:
Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Hochschule für Architektur und Bauwesen Weimar
28. Jg., 1982, Issue 1, p. 43-47
Burckhardt, Lucius:
Arbeiten-Wohnen: zwei gegensätzliche Lebensbereiche?
In:
AIT Issue 5, 1983, p. 33-37, 45
Holt, K.; Geschka, H; Peterlongo, G.:
Need assessment: A key to user-orientated product innovation
G. John Wiley
Chichester 1984
Burckhardt, Lucius:
Die Kinder fressen ihre Revolution
Hrsg. Bazon Brock
Köln 1985
Chapter 17 Wohnbedürfnisse (1970), p. 399-404
Narten, Renate:
Wohnbiographien als Grundlagen einer bedürfnisgerechten Wohnraumplanung
Kritik des „altengerechten“ Wohnungsbaus am Beispiel der Wohnsituation alter, alleinstehender
Frauen im sozialen Wohnungsbau der 60er Jahre
KDA Forum Nr. 15
Kuratorium Deutsche Altershilfe
Chapter 6. Methoden Architektur- und Stadtsoziologischer Bedürfnisforschung
p. 90–105
Köln, März 1991
Das Wohnen
Vielfalt der Wohnbedürfnisse, auf die weder Politik noch Markt angemessen reagieren
Verlag Jochen Rahe
Zwingenberg/Bergstrasse 1995
Rughöft, Sigrid:
Wohnökologie – Grundwissen
Uni-Taschenbücher 1679
Verlag Eugen Ulmer
Stuttgart 1992; pp.14 - 18
Pfennig, Thomas:
Bedürfnisse und Anforderungen … von Nutzern und Eigentümern beim Betrieb von Gebäuden
In:
Deutsche Bauzeitschrift (DBZ), Issue 11, 1997, p. 93-98
Leisenheimer, Gerhard:
Der Kampf mit den Bedürfnissen - Zwei einführende Lernspiele In:
a+l, Nr. 67, p. 17-18
Technische Universität Darmstadt
Fachbereich Architektur
Fachgebiet Entwerfen und Hochbaukonstruktion I
Professor Günther Pfeifer
Diplom Wintersemester 1999/2000
WOHNVISIONEN
Darmstadt, 2000, pp. 12 – 22
Zeiller, Wolfgang:
Analogiebildung in der Technik und Anwendungsbeispiele für den Unterricht
In:
tu 103 / 1. Quartal 2002, pp. 14-21
Michaelis, Holger:
Gestaltbezogene Anforderungen in der funktionalen Leistungsbeschreibung
Herausgegeben vom Institut für Architektur- und Stadtforschung – IAS 8
Dissertation
Hannover 1977
pp. 64 – 66, pp. 214 - 215