Houses in the Weissenhof district

Richard Döcker – Houses in the Weissenhof siedlung district, Stuttgart Germany, 1927

Mies van der Rohe's plan proposal dated September 9, 1926 assigned Döcker a sloping plot between Rathenaustraße and Bruckmannweg on which he was to design two houses. Döcker designed these houses according to his belief that buildings should always be considered together with the place in which they are located, to which they must adapt and subordinate themselves. In his first draft, he connected the two houses because this corresponded to the mission statement of the other architects. However, when he saw the development plan and realized that none of the others had followed this principle, he redesigned his two houses as separate units.
Houses no. 21 and 22 designed by Richard Döcker exploited the slope of the lot to create, through large terraces, interesting openings towards the landscape. Real open-air rooms, moreover, these terraces, in addition to creating a filter area for the main rooms, could be used for gymnastic and recreational activities.
Döcker wanted the two buildings painted in different bright colors. There is no indication as to whether he did so, nor is there any accurate data on his color scheme.
The houses were destroyed during World War II and the site where house No. 21 was built is now occupied by a new building.