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We have a ton of those in Europe, and it’s a terrible idea generally - you have way too little privacy, lower floors have little sunlight, but above all - if an

We have a ton of those in Europe, and it’s a terrible idea generally - you have way too little privacy, lower floors have little sunlight, but above all - if anyone throws a party, or even has guests on a balcony, everyone else can hear it.

WalterBright 5y ago
I don't think the privacy would be any more of an issue than it would be if the windows faced the street. That works because the apartment windows are not at eye level, they are a storey up. The ground floor would be shops, a bar, a coffee shop, arcade, etc. Think town square. Sunlight could be dealt with by not enclosing all sides of the common area, have the south side be windows to the outside.
- Talanes 5y ago
  >That works because the apartment windows are not at eye level, they are a storey up But in an enclosed courtyard, there would be apartments across the way at eye level. Though that's solved by scale. With a large enough complex, the courtyard distance isn't much different than apartments across the street.
  - beerandt 5y ago
    Are windows that face adjacent buildings (same side of the street) that big of a problem? They're likely much closer together than any opposing courtyard windows would be. It's a bit different since you have two separate, not necessarily functionally or aesthetically compatible, structures. But that almost certainly makes it worse than if you were able to design opposing views simultaneously.
    - Talanes 5y ago
      I've never seen a side-window designed for a view, just smaller higher windows designed for light.
- rbanffy 5y ago
  I wonder if we could deal with sunlight by using mirror panels on the internal walls. As long as the internal place is not formed of curved walls, it should be fine. If it is formed of curved walls, it could be a nice place to put a solar-thermal plant.
faichai 5y ago
I lived for a year in 12 story apartment block that was U shaped, I lived on the inner part of the U and this was exactly my experience. If anyone of the 72 inner apartments was having a party or just some late night drinks with friends you couldn’t sleep. Happened about 1-2 times a week. I was surprised that building codes allowed such construction here in the UK as there’s lots of rules about sound insulation between units.

WalterBright 5y ago

I don't think the privacy would be any more of an issue than it would be if the windows faced the street. That works because the apartment windows are not at eye level, they are a storey up. The ground floor would be shops, a bar, a coffee shop, arcade, etc. Think town square. Sunlight could be dealt with by not enclosing all sides of the common area, have the south side be windows to the outside.

Talanes 5y ago
>That works because the apartment windows are not at eye level, they are a storey up But in an enclosed courtyard, there would be apartments across the way at eye level. Though that's solved by scale. With a large enough complex, the courtyard distance isn't much different than apartments across the street.
- beerandt 5y ago
  Are windows that face adjacent buildings (same side of the street) that big of a problem? They're likely much closer together than any opposing courtyard windows would be. It's a bit different since you have two separate, not necessarily functionally or aesthetically compatible, structures. But that almost certainly makes it worse than if you were able to design opposing views simultaneously.
  - Talanes 5y ago
    I've never seen a side-window designed for a view, just smaller higher windows designed for light.
rbanffy 5y ago
I wonder if we could deal with sunlight by using mirror panels on the internal walls. As long as the internal place is not formed of curved walls, it should be fine. If it is formed of curved walls, it could be a nice place to put a solar-thermal plant.

faichai 5y ago

I lived for a year in 12 story apartment block that was U shaped, I lived on the inner part of the U and this was exactly my experience. If anyone of the 72 inner apartments was having a party or just some late night drinks with friends you couldn’t sleep. Happened about 1-2 times a week. I was surprised that building codes allowed such construction here in the UK as there’s lots of rules about sound insulation between units.