38 PROJECT REPORT: SOCIAL & AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The Aaben is a conscious move towards something which smacks far less of ego, and is also somehow equally powerful for that
than terraced housing,” and provide an “intermediary scale which is urban but still humane.”
Continued connections With social housing schemes having had a problematic past when it comes to outdoor spaces, Van Gameren says the designers were aware “it was very important to create safe outside space” at The Aaben. From the initial competition submission, connection to the outside was a major driver, and this remained in many aspects of the built scheme, such as how entrance halls open up to the exterior, says Dick. He adds that while safety was key, “we didn’t want to fence the project off, you see that too much around housing in England.” The meandering shape aided this “defining of protected spaces,” he says, with the ‘snake’s head’ containing a glazed entrance lobby as a “welcoming gesture,” whereas on the western, Leaf Street side, there’s a courtyard garden with a playground. The landscaped public spaces are connected to each other via generous ‘gates,’ ie apertures in the building which also mark entrances to the apartments. The gate that effectively bisects the apartment section of the block at ground level is funnel-shaped, widening towards the larger central landscaped courtyard, to create what Van Gameren calls a “picturesque” view through to the more southerly courtyard. A further gate between the
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apartments section and the townhouses both adds permeability and reinforces the connection of the upper stories as one volume.
The entrances were made as transparent as possible, with glass on both sides, to increase the sense of safety, and the gates between outdoor spaces being close to these light-filled areas avoids the former being “dark and creepy,” says Van Gameren. It also means a greater volume of people using the entrances is likely, making them “spaces that are watched and used,” reducing the likelihood of them becoming venues for antisocial behaviour.
The fact there are four entrance lobbies for the apartments not only reduces the long access decks or internal corridors of past projects such as the Hulme Crescents. It also further helps create movement through common spaces across the project rather than risking quiet corners. On the other hand, with broken-up volumes served by several entrances, a single, more anonymous lobby could be avoided. On each floor there are five apartments at most, “so at least you know the other people on your corridor,” says Van Gameren. “More than 12-15 apartments per lift or staircase, and it starts to become anonymous, and people take less care of the communal spaces.”
The site has new cycle and walking paths, helping connect the residents and the scheme with the wider city, and aiding the
ADF FEBRUARY 2021
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