Pfahlbauten am Bodensee

A special, but highly characteristic form of growing structures is this cluster of stilt houses built on the water. Found in several parts of the world, this form of development is a finely reconstructed one on Bodensee (Lake Constance) in Germany. Buildings connected to a small terrace adhere to winding piers that branch off above the water. The direction of growth is defined by the tiers serving access, to which the constituents may connect either one by one or as clusters. The garden is transformed in this environment. The terrace, set on stilts next to the buildings, and the water between the individual components may take on this function. The former is a well-functioning living space, the open-air extension of the building; while the latter could be a means of separation. As we shall see, this kind of development is once again revived in the Netherlands because of the growth of the city, as a response to the urgent issue of land shortage.