Housing for Farmers: the Adaptation of Urban Housing Standards to the Environment of Rural Settlements

Abstract

Housing construction in Czechoslovakia began to grow in the 1940s, which was reflected in the increased number of flats and improved housing standards. This growth was made possible mainly due to the construction of blocks of flats. Although in the countryside, in contrast to the cities, people predominantly lived in their own family houses, the construction of apartment blocks also contributed to the increase in capacity there. However, the experience from the 1940s and 1950s shows negative impacts of adopting the projects for blocks of flats which were designed for the city and the urban way of life and did not suit rural residents, who had different working patterns and needs. In the 1960s, an intensive dialogue between local participants, architects, and the authorities took place, leading to the adaptation of the apartment block concept to the needs of agricultural workers. The adaption concerned both the external appearance, which had to respect the village environment, and the internal layout. The adapted projects included separate rooms for residents to wash themselves after their return from fields and gardens, and storage compartments for foods and livestock feed. Attention was also paid to the surroundings, where buildings related to residents’ farming activities were designed (small animal breeding, working in the gardens and small fields). The willingness to conduct the dialogue and to adapt the projects for rural blocks of flats disappeared in the 1970s as a result of the normalization and gradual improvement in agricultural workers’ living standards.