SILODAM. A graphic discourse on typological diversity in contemporary collective housing

This paper analyzes the Silodam collective housing project, developed and built between 1995 and 2002 by the MVRDV studio. One of the design concepts that characterize Silodam is that of offering a large number of types of housing contained in the same building. To carry out this analysis, first a critical review is made of some authors who reflect on the need for typological diversity in contemporary collective housing. Secondly, a series of graphs and diagrams are studied (made by its designers) in which the aspects related to the typological design and the programmatic organization of the building are presented. From the study it is concluded that these drawings not only show the proposal made, but also constitute a graphic discourse that uses rhetorical strategies to explain the typological diversity of the building and also establish a narrative of the design process of which it is the result.