Gerald Marx, Penthäuser für alle / Penthouses for all

The dream of owning a home in the countryside has led to cities expanding more and more, growing together and destroying unspoilt nature. In addition, however, the need for affordable and attractive living space in cities is also increasing. Proximity to work and good infrastructure are clear advantages of city life. The »Penthouses for all« concept focuses on people's individual living wishes. It shows that sophisticated architecture can be affordable for all and is also possible in cities in the course of densification. The new living space for all is developed by building on flat roofs, which are plentiful in urban areas. Unfortunately, in the past the possibilities of targeted development of roofs remained largely unrecognised, especially in the newly built districts. So far, flat roofs here have mostly only been planted or used for energy generation. Here and there they are also built on later, but as a rule they remain unused for residential purposes. The situation is very different in many southern countries. There, it is a matter of course to use flat roofs for living and to include them in the planning right from the start. The book gives an insight into the inexhaustible possibilities of living on roofs. Numerous examples show that the dream of a home in the countryside can also be realised in the city. Not only small, low-cost roof houses are possible. With special »construction kits«, larger units can also be put together; alternative forms of living can be thought of and realised as well; nothing remains utopian. Ultimately, the aim is to make living in cities more attractive again in order to prevent urban sprawl and destruction of nature, and to give people back a home and identity even in the city. However, new building laws and development plans must create the prerequisites for this. So far, subsequent building on roofs is often prevented by building laws or rejected for aesthetic reasons. Further construction on roof areas is paralysed by the requirement to adapt to the existing building. Thus, only roof superstructures are created that are hardly recognisable as such or that take up the given monotonous design elements in order to adapt to the existing buildings.