The successful completion of the Unitas cooperative complex brought the architects another similar commission. In 1932, they were approached by representatives of the Construction Cooperative of Private Employees and Workers, Nová doba, with a request to design a residential complex with small apartments on Vajnorská Street. Given the different spatial situation, the architects designed the buildings as staircase sections with four apartments per floor, arranged in rows. The individual sections created a fragmented structure, which, however, became the target of criticism when the project was assessed as part of a mortgage application. The building was criticized for being "very fragmented" and it was stated that "this type of fragmentation undoubtedly increases the cost of construction..." However, the design was ultimately defended and the cooperative obtained a loan of CZK 3,500,000 from Hypoteční banka, which was necessary to secure the construction. The total estimated cost of construction was CZK 7,400,000.
The twin block contained 162 apartments of five types (smaller and larger one-room apartments, smaller and larger two-room apartments, and studio apartments). Their floor space ranged from 34.5 to 56.7 m². All apartments were equipped with electricity, heating, gas, and hot and cold water. It is also worth mentioning the material standard of the apartments, which featured modern products of the time, including terrazzo and xylolite floors, built-in furniture, and "automatic roll-up curtains." The structural basis of the building was a steel skeleton. The use of a steel structure was not an end in itself; the architects sought to achieve rapid assembly, unification of building elements, and reduction of construction costs. The residential complex also included garages and shared laundry rooms. The ground floor had rentable spaces for a dairy, a pastry shop, a drugstore, a tobacco shop, and a fashion store, as well as two workshops with storage rooms. In 1935, the building commission requested the construction of a civil shelter, based on Regulation No. 82 of April 1935. The architects Weinwurm and Vécsei paid great attention to the structural and material aspects of the solution. The ceiling structures were constructed exclusively using the Ast-Moulin reinforced concrete system. Modern plaster with a top layer of cement and crushed stone was used on the facades. The north-facing facades had Ceresit mixed into the plaster to protect against moisture.
At that time, plans were already underway to build another twin block, which was finally completed in the early 1940s. Architect Eugen Kramár worked on the preparation of the implementation drawings.
author of the description: Henrieta Moravčíková
Bibliography:
Obytné domy stavebného družstva Nová doba. Ed. A. Hořejš, Bratislava 1933. Slovenský staviteľ 4, 1934, s. / p. 81 – 87. Neuere Arbeiten der Architekten Weinwurm und Vécsei, Pressburg. Forum 5, 1935, s. / p. 108. Nová doba (2. etapa). Ed. A. Hořejš, Bratislava, 1936. Steiner, Ernst: Die Entwicklung der Mittelstandswohnung in den letzten zehn Jahren. Forum 7, 1937, s. / p. 83 – 84.
