Date Type: Construcción

Social Housing at Marianella

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Social Housing at Marianella

Policies and regulations
Financing
Promotion and production

Main objectives of the project

The Marianella project (1983-1988) in Naples focused on rebuilding post-1980 earthquake. Objectives involved transforming a serial-type plan into dynamic urban interventions, creating three-floor residential blocks with courtyards. Using the French prefabrication system, it successfully addressed both housing needs and the reintegration of the outskirts.

Date

  • 1989: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Franco Purini
  • Architect: Aldo Aymonino
  • Architect: Laura Thermes

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Naples
Country/Region: Italy, Naples

Description

The idea behind the project for a block in Marianella, a center of the outskirts of Naples, consists in making react a type-morphological plan of serial nature, with the outline of the area, considered as a perimeter on which are projected different conditions of the context. In contact with such a outline, which is configured as an active margin, the model undergoes a series of subtractions that are proposed as architectural variations of the plan. It is subtracted so to the repetition inherent in the initial model by purchasing a geometric and plastic variability, which results in an increase of the complexity of the urban intervention.
The intervention for sixtyfour accommodation in Marianella, in the metropolitan area of Naples, was designed in 1983 and completed in 1988 after the earthquake of 1980, an event that ruined not only the historical center of the city but also the peripheral expansions. The project was thought both to be to rebuild a number of destroyed houses and to reconnect separate parts of the peripheral tissue. A urban fabric in which was spread a courtyard typology, which gave rise to complex residential units designed to accommodate families of farmers in the Neapolitan countryside. The project has taken this typological matrix, obviously transformed, proposing a series of residential blocks of three floors, organized around two types of courtyards. On the larger courtyards overlook houses with continuous balconies supported by iron pillars; the smallest include the stair’s towers which, through four gangways, distribute eight apartments for each floor. The residential blocks are made with the French prefabrication system “banches e tables” and then plastered. The stairs have an iron structure covered with tuff. Also the portals of entry to the courts are made with tuff.

Documents

Authors:

Fundació Mies van der Rohe Barcelona

Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing

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Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing

Mismatches
Financing
Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

The primary objectives of the Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing project in Amsterdam were to establish a lively and community-focused environment. Architect Hertzberger aimed to create an intimate, pedestrian-friendly street, limiting access to residents' vehicles. The design prioritized fine-tuned scale, fostering a sense of community, and incorporating distinctive architectural elements to enhance the unique character of the residential quarter.

Date

  • 1987: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Herman Hertzberger

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Amsterdam
Country/Region: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Description

The Haarlemmer Houttuinen Housing in Amsterdam is squeezed between a busy main road and railway to the north and Haarlemmerstraat to the south. The north block was built by Hertzberger, the one to the south by the architects Van Herk & Nagelkerke. The two blocks are separated by a pedestrian street connected to Haarlemmerstraat by two gateway buildings also designed by Van Herk.

Hertzberger s housing block has projecting piers with balconies that give rhythm to the street. Each pier marks the entrance to four maisonettes and supports the balcony of the upper two. All entrances to the dwellings are off the street and balconies and gardens overlook it. Fine-tuning of scale is

achieved by tiles in the centre of the lintels and the granite pads supporting them, and by the different sized square windows which syncopate rhythms and let in light along the ceilings where window heads have been kept closed to give intimacy within.

Hertzberger wanted the new street to be a lively community area. The street is accessible only to residents cars and delivery vehicles. With the street closed to general motorised traffic and measuring only 7 metres in width, an unusually narrow profile by modern standards, a situation is created reminiscent of the old city. Street furnishings such as lights, bicycle racks, low fencing and public benches are distributed in such a way that the passage of traffic is obstructed with only a few parked cars. Some trees are planted to form a centre halfway between the two street sections. The lower maisonettes can be entered from their tiny gardens in the street, while the upper units can be reached by external stairs to a shared landing at first floor level, where the front doors are. While the extended block on the north side of the street provides shelter from the busy main road and railway behind it, the south-side block is one storey lower to allow the sun to shine in the street. In this respect, the scheme reinstates the original function of the street as a place where local residents can meet. Streets which no longer serve exclusively as traffic thoroughfares are increasingly seen on the new housing estates and in urban renewal projects. The interests of pedestrians are being taken into consideration, and with the recognition of the woonerf as a street space in a residential area where pedestrians enjoy legal protection against traffic, they are slowly regaining their rightful ground. The decision to reserve a strip 27 metres wide fl anking the railway for traffic purposes forced Hertzberger to build up to this imposed limit of alignment. As a result there was no room on this side for back gardens, which might in fact have been permanently in the shade. Unfavourable factors such as undesirable orientation and traffic noise meant that the north side would have to accommodate the rear wall, and so automatically all emphasis came to lie on the street side which faces south. The north side has no entrances or balconies. The long, continuous rear wall forms a sort of city wall marking the limits of the residential quarter and setting it apart from the railway viaduct, the open area beyond and the harbour in the

distance. In order to involve the rear view in the architecture, the upperstorey dwellings were given bay windows. These are the only plastic features in an otherwise unarticulated wall.

Authors:

Fundació Mies van der Rohe Barcelona

Gleis 21 – We bring the village to the city

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Gleis 21 – We bring the village to the city

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 2021: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: einszueins architektur
  • Architect:  YEWO LANDSCAPES GmbH
  • Constructor: Weissenseer Holz-System-Bau GmbH 

Location

City: Vienna
Country/Region: Austria, Vienna

Description

Under the motto “Setting the course together”, the co-housing project Gleis 21 was planned in a participatory manner with the future residents, from urban development to the socket outlet. The property is located in the center of the new urban development area “Leben am Helmut Zilk Park” near the Vienna Central Station („Hauptbahnhof Wien“). The project and the cultural association of the same name want to contribute to the development of the district. Communication within and outward, is key at Gleis 21.

The co-housing project Gleis 21 builds on three major principles: “living in solidarity”, “indulging cleverly”, and “creating with media”. Solidarity is lived in a variety of ways, be it simple neighborhood services or a Solidarityfund for personal emergencies. Lived solidarity also includes certain appartements, that were planned in cooperation with Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst (a refugee aid organization), that can be given to refugees.

To help shape the cultural, social and media life in the newly developed quarter, a cooperation with Radio Orange, Okto TV and Stadkino Wien (cinema) was formed. The cultural Organization Gleis 21 is going to ensure a steady cultural program adapted to and in unison with its surroundings. A music-school on the lower floor rounds out the cultural scope of opportunity.
Extensive communal areas represent the focus of the communal aspect and offer space for common and individual use: from the communal kitchen to the library and sauna on the top floor to the workshop, studio and fitness room in the basement. The selection and details of community-spaces were made by the residents and form the center of communal aspects of the project.

The project was designed as a compact, zero-energy house („Niedrigstenergiehaus“) in a wood-hybrid construction and was built in a resources saving way.

The individually planned housing-units on the upper four floors are accessed via an open north-west-facing arcade and are all equipped with private balconies. The neutral and flexible structure of the building enabled each unit to be planned individually in collaboration with its residents

Authors:

Moholt 50I50 – Timber Towers

1

Moholt 50I50 – Timber Towers

Urban Design Quality Liveability
Promotion and production Materials Technology

Main objectives of the project

The Moholt 50|50 project in Trondheim, Norway, aims to improve student housing by introducing new collective-oriented units, support services, and public programs. It creates an active central area that connects the student village with the surrounding area. The project includes tower constructions where each floor is a student collective with shared spaces. Additionally, it features a kindergarten, library, and public spaces. All buildings are constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT) and have an ambitious energy concept, including geothermal heating. The use of CLT reduces CO2 emissions and the project is the largest CLT project in Europe. The towers have a 9-storey height, with CLT elements used from the first to the 9th floor. The project utilizes the aesthetic qualities of CLT and conducted fire tests. The façade cladding system accommodates shrinkage and is clad with Kebony treated pine wood panels.

Date

  • 2016: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Masu planning
  • Architect: MDH Arkitekter SA

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Trondheim
Country/Region: Norway, Trondheim

Description

Student housing often plumb the depths of mediocrity, with simple units stacked on top of each other in the cheapest way possible and left to themselves without support programs. The Moholt 50|50 project is a reaction to this. By injecting new collective oriented housing units, support services for students and public programs into an existing student village built in the sixties, a new active central area is created, erasing the psychological border between the student village and the surrounding area.

The project is located in Trondheim, Norway. The title Moholt 50|50 represents a turning point in the history of the student village. 50 years after the inauguration of the first student units at Moholt student village a competition for young architects was arranged looking for a vision for the coming 50 years. True to the ideals of the student organization – offering both private space for individual needs and collective space promoting collaboration, social responsibility and tolerance, the winning project proposed tower constructions where every floor is a student collective. Every collective consists of 15 units with individual bathrooms. The habitants of the units share a kitchen, dining/ living room, entrance hall and a guest toilet. The ground floors of all towers offer spaces for more publicly oriented services of the student organization and commercial spaces. In addition to the student housing towers the masterplan consists of a kindergarten and a library with spaces for student activities. All buildings are constructed in crosslaminated timber (CLT) and have an ambitious energy concept. Moholt 50|50 is the largest CLT project in Europe. The guiding idea was to lay out a “street” through the student village, a coherent and active public space. Moholt allmenningen (Moholt commons), as it is now officially called, brings together existing small paths and roads to a larger public space and connects them to the larger road system. All new buildings are connected to this street which brings together movement and activity connected to the buildings. The Moholt Commons is a “shared space” area, also available to emergency vehicles, deliveries and handicap vehicles. It is designed as a public space with benches, stages, bicycle parking and planting – a place where people can meet. In the original competition proposal the towers were planned with conventional construction methods; a steel and concrete structure with a brick cladding, the latter in order to harmonize with the existing low-rise student housing with redbrick facades. To meet the project’s energy and climate goals the project team researched the possibility of turning the structures into CLT constructions. The towers, with their relatively short spans and Y-shape volumes, were statically optimal for CLT-construction. The choice of CLT in load-bearing structures, the reduced energy need in accordance with the “passive house standard” and geothermal heating are the main elements of the environmental concept for the project. The local heating plant consists of 23 geothermal wells, heat recovery from ventilation air, heat recovery from waste-water, and solar thermal collectors, all of which provide for an integrated energy system.

The use of CLT has reduced the CO2 in building materials by 57 % and the CO2 emissions associated with energy use are reduced by approximately 70% compared to standard Norwegian requirements. db77d1a7fbc36aa2769d9d623707981f2eb6d65f e7059104b8f3c628405c8bc8408ffaf6f0b22661

The five towers are 9-storeys high with a height of 28-metres. The basement and ground floor levels are made in cast reinforced concrete. From the first floor to the 9th floor the structure consists of prefabricated CLT-elements.

The approach to building with CLT was to take advantage of the finished surface of the CLT elements and expose as much as possible of the wood in the interiors. By utilizing the technical and aesthetic qualities of the CLT system a robust and honest expression was achieved.

A full scale fire test was conducted to establish a better information basis for fire sizing, burn rate and sprinkler capacity.

Like regular wood structures, CLT wood structures have the characteristics of shrinkage in tangential and radial direction. The façade cladding system of the student towers is designed to give it a telescopic characteristic, which can absorb the shrinkage of the floor elements without creating tensions in the cladding.

The façades are clad with Kebony treated pine wood panels. The cladding on the ground floor is treated with a fire protecting wood stain, whereas the rest of the Kebony façade is left untreated and will weather naturally.

Authors:

Rasu Houses

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Rasu Houses

Urban Design Quality

Main objectives of the project

Rasu Namai is a residential quarter in Vilnius consisting of 18 houses. The plot of land features a wooded slope, ammunition vaults, and a creek. The design overcomes challenges of a narrow site, lack of sunlight, and historical preservation through an elevated and lowered approach. Eight elevated houses are positioned between the retaining walls of the vaults, angled to correspond with the vault entrances. Ten lowered houses connect two terraces along the creek and street, with retaining walls separating car spaces and private terraces. The buildings are clad in various textures of wood planks, reflecting local traditions and creating a harmonious aesthetic. The project preserves the street's perspective, extending into the Ribiskes landscape reserve. Concrete structures support the elevated houses, while other elements use local materials like clay brickwork and wooden roofs. The facades are clad in Siberian larch for minimal maintenance. The design emphasizes the relationship between nature, historical objects, textures, and the new structures, contributing to non-energetic sustainability.

Date

  • 2015: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: PLAZMA Architecture Studio
  • Architect: Paleko architektu studija

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Vilnius
Country/Region: Lithuania, Vilnius

Description

Rasu Namai is a residential quarter consisting of ordinary 18 houses in Pavilniai regional park of Vilnius.
A 7000 sq. m. plot of land in the cul-de-sac of Rasu street features a tall tree wooded slope with a northern orientation, 1920s ammunition vaults on the higher ground and a narrow creek on lower levels. The new buildings in the higher part of the plot are elevated on slender columns in order to „catch” the sun and leave the walls of historical vaults undisturbed. Meanwhile the buildings down the slope are lowered in order to get more privacy and provided with the yards on the creek bank.

The main design challenges were: an extremely narrow site with cross height difference, lack of sun and affection to historical objects. The key answer to it lay in the duality: ELEVATED + LOWERED.

8 ELEVATED houses are set between the retaining walls of the ammunition vaults or placed above their cornices to ensure their visibility from the street. The pairs of houses correspond to the pairs of entrances to the vaults. These houses are angled to correspond with the entrances to the vaults.
The northern side of the street is shaped by the intermittent perimeter of LOWERED houses. 10 separate buildings connect two terraces: the bank of the creek and the street. Retaining walls between the houses separate the places for cars on the street level and private terraces below.

The complex of houses is harmonized by uniform materialization: buildings are clad in wood planks of several different textures, influenced by local traditions. Homogenous architectural details, scale and color of the buildings enhance the idea of unity even further.

The perspective of the street is not obstructed, but rather extending into the valley of Ribiskes landscape reserve.

The idea to raise the upper houses on metal stilts required the use of concrete structures while other elements of the project employs local, traditional building materials such as clay brickwork and wooden roof structures. The facades are clad in Siberian larch harvested in the nearby areas and initially patinated to keep it as much maintenance free as possible. The compact size of the building decrease heat losses as well as provide easy accessibility to every element if repair is necessary. The relation between local nature, historical objects, textures and the new structures might be considered as an aspect of non-energetic sustainability.

Authors:

Fundació Mies van der Rohe Barcelona

Puukuokka Housing Block (house 1)

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Puukuokka Housing Block (house 1)

Urban Design Environments Quality

Main objectives of the project

Puukuokka One is Finland's first eight-story wooden apartment building, showcasing modular prefabricated CLT construction for high-quality, environmentally responsible, and affordable housing. It has received accolades such as the Finlandia Prize for Architecture and Resident Act of the Year 2015. The complex consists of three 6-8-story buildings, with the first building completed and the others scheduled for construction in the next two years. Puukuokka aims to maximize the technical and aesthetic qualities of CLT while creating a distinct architectural expression. It pioneers a lease-to-own financing strategy to support social sustainability, allowing gradual ownership acquisition through rental payments over 20 years. The design combines the warmth and privacy of single-family dwellings with the semi-public nature of shared spaces in apartment buildings. The use of CLT enables a spacious and energy-efficient hallway and atrium space, independent temperature control in each unit, and integrated piping for maintenance. The construction time is reduced through prefabricated modules, which also allow for a fully wooden load-bearing structure. The complex is built on a concrete foundation, preserving the natural landscape and utilizing locally available and renewable wood as a low-emission and CO2 storage material.

Date

  • 2015: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Jyväskylä
Country/Region: Finland, Jyväskylä

Description

Puukuokka One is the first eight-story high wooden apartment building in Finland. It explores the potential of modular prefabricated CLT construction to meet the goal of providing high quality, environmentally responsible and affordable housing. It has won several prizes including Finlandia Prize for Architecture and Resident Act of the Year 2015.
The Puukuokka apartment complex is comprised of three 6-8-storey buildings. The first building in the Puukuokka complex is now complete and the other two buildings will be built over the next two years.

The goal was to find a solution that makes the best possible use of the technical and aesthetic qualities of CLT and to create a wooden building in large scale with a distinct architectonic expression of its own.

Puukuokka pilots an innovative lease-to-own financing strategy that aims to support social sustainability by promoting stable communities. A 7% down payment on the purchase price of an apartment allows the purchaser to secure a state guaranteed loan, and, through rental payments over a period of 20 years, the purchaser gradually acquires full ownership of the unit. The sales price is negotiated and agreed upon when the lease is signed.

The goal was to create a building that combines the sense of warmth and privacy of a single-family dwelling with the semi-public character of the shared spaces of an apartment building.The town plan has been tailored to meet the needs of the building complex making it possible to count only part of the shared spaces in the building volume and allowing an open and spacious feel in the shared spaces without compromising the amount of space offered in the individual units.

Puukuokka served as a pilot case to develop and test a CLT based system of volumetric modules. Working with CLT enabled several important aspects in the project: It made it possible to create a spacious hallway and atrium space with a lot of light realized in an energy efficient manner as a semi-warm space. The insulating qualities of massive wood allow for controlling the temperature of the individual units independently. The use of prefabricated volumetric CLT modules made it possible to integrate the piping for heat, water, electricity and ventilation in the wall structure in the hallway making it easily accessible for maintenance. This arrangement also allows for an efficient organization of the plan. The entire load bearing structure and frame is made of massive wood composed of prefabricated volumetric CLT modules made of spruce. Each apartment is made of two modules, one housing the living room, balcony and bedroom, the other the bathroom, kitchen and foyer.

The use of prefabricated modules made it possible to cut the construction time on site down to six months and to reduce the exposure to weather conditions. That made it possible to achieve a higher quality in the end result. Working with CLTmade it possible to create a building with a primary load bearing structure and frame fully made of wood. The modules are prefabricated in a local factory in Hartola less than two hours away from the site.

The complex is built on a concrete foundation with indoor parking spaces on the basement level. To preserve the naturally hilly landscape of the site, as much of the bedrock has been left untouched as possible. The building follows the contours of the site to minimize disturbance to the underlying bedrock and existing vegetation.

Wood is a locally available, renewable and recyclable material for construction. It also produces reduced emissions and provides remarkable co2 storage.

Authors:

Shepherdess Walk Housing

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Shepherdess Walk Housing

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Shepherdess Walk is a contemporary residential development in central London, blending with the historical context of the area. The project features houses and apartments with a split-level design, offering spatial generosity and flexibility. The exterior spaces vary, including walled gardens for houses and panoramic views for apartments. The design draws inspiration from the historical terraced housing of Shepherdess Walk, with subtle variations in façades and a folding effect to create a connection with the surrounding Georgian terrace. The apartment building complements the larger post-war housing nearby. Both buildings are clad in brick, reflecting the local materiality. Deep window reveals and raw interior materials such as plaster, timber, concrete, brass, and steel add character and patina over time. Handcrafted elements like walnut handrails and brass ironmongery provide a tactile quality.

Date

  • 2015: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Jaccaud Zein Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
City: London
Country/Region: London, United Kingdom

Description

Shepherdess Walk is a new residential development in central London, located near to Old Street roundabout, on the border of Shoreditch, London’s technology hub and design district of Clerkenwell. Situated at the corner of Shepherdess Walk and Wenlock Street, the project establishes positive relations with the different historical conditions and formal qualities of the site to propose an unapologetically contemporary project for a terrace of houses and an apartment building with a strong sense of place.

A split-level section was developed in collaboration with Solidspace and has been applied to both houses and apartments. This configuration allows for the juxtaposition of rooms with different usages around double-height connected spaces, offering a sense of spatial generosity and continuity. The complexity of the section is not immediately apparent from the exterior with only hints given by the large-scale windows to the presence of the double height spaces.

The split-level arrangement introduced a strong potential for flexibility for the apartments, allowing for possible subdivisions within each unit with multiple access to the stairwell. This flexibility allows for a possible fragmentation of scale and an evolution of use through time to meet the demands of multiple occupancy, of children growing up, of partial rental of the unit, of working from home or just varying use of the different rooms.

Every dwelling has an exterior space with a variety of specific qualities. If the houses have rear walled gardens which echo the surrounding Georgian types the apartments have a diversity of exterior spaces which open up to spectacular views at the top of the building, incorporating views of London and it’s surroundings into the building. Shepherdess Walk has a rich historical heritage of terraced housing and fragments of the continuous Georgian frontages, still visible despite the heavy bomb damage suffered during the Second World War. The project draws on this historical fabric and reinstates three terraced houses on Shepherdess Walk in a contemporary reinterpretation of the type. Gentle variations of the façades enable a subtle closure of the street towards the adjacent park, giving both orientation to the open space from within the building and clarification of the boundaries of the streetscape. This slight folding echoes the geometry of the adjacent Georgian terrace, reinforcing the historical identity of the street. Facing on to Wenlock Street, the first house folds more sharply asserting its presence towards the south and opening the angle of the site towards a second apartment building. This shift in scale between the two buildings generates a vivid urban juxtaposition that reinforces the presence of the corner in the neighborhood.

The apartment building rises in scale beyond the houses to stitch the development into the context of bigger scale post-war housing which extend beyond

Both buildings are clad in a brick that was chosen to reflect the patinated materiality of the surroundings, once again stitching the development into its context. Slight variations to the pointing of the brickwork allow for a horizontal banding to the apartment building façade, directing the gaze along the depth of the street and marking an articulation in the bulk of the building. Deep window reveals emphasise the threshold between the intimacy of the interior spaces and the street giving a sense of weight and presence to the buildings. All internal spaces have been developed using a palette of raw materials, plaster, timber, concrete brass and steel which are designed to patinate with use, giving each space a specific and unique character which will develop through time. Handrails and ironmongery have been designed to offer a sensual tactile quality, using hand crafted traditional materials such as solid walnut and brass.

Authors:

Collective housing for elderly people and civic and health centre

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Collective housing for elderly people and civic and health centre

Urban Design Environments Equity

Main objectives of the project

The project comprises 105 senior citizens' housing units and features a double-height plinth with a Health Centre and Senior Community Centre. The design fosters a dynamic community and preserves the existing social network of the neighborhood. Located near Glories' square, the project integrates with the urban fabric of Eixample and responds to Diagonal Street. Three housing volumes on top of the plinth accommodate the program. Each building has seven or eight dwellings per floor, connected by a central corridor. Communal spaces include a rooftop terrace, laundry, porch, and patio-solarium. The layout promotes a sense of limitless interconnectedness, with movable walls and open spaces. The construction system incorporates thermal insulation and a district heating system, resulting in high energy efficiency.

Date

  • 2016: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: peris+toral.arquitectes
  • Architect: Bonell i Gil

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Barcelona
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

The project organises 105 senior citizens housing into three volumes spread out, on top of a double-height plinth containing a Health Centre and a Senior Community Centre. The building’s common spaces help to create a dynamic community. The mixed-use of the program enable to preserve the existing social network of the neighbourhood. The project is located near Glories’ square. This plot is within the Eixample’s urban fabric. At the same time, is part of a city block trimmed by Diagonal’s Street trace.

One of the main challenges the project had to face was the mixed-use program with different real estate developments: 105 housing for Barcelona’s council, a Health Centre for regional government, a Senior Community Centre for the district and a vehicle impoundment parking for BSM. We opted for a unitary building in order to organise and to encourage different uses but also to accommodate the whole program: a group of three volumes of housing on top of one double-height plinth containing the facilities.

By overlapping two different urban strategies, the project is capable of giving response to the surroundings’ complexity. On one hand, the continuous base of the building recognises the grid of the Eixample, by leaning on its alignments. On the other, the housing volumes give continuity to the sequence of nearby isolated blocks in respond to Diagonal Street. The void between these blocks is necessary to filter the public space through and to maintain the global unit. The result is an architectural ensemble that despite its domestic height is able to dialogue with the unique geometry of the high and sharped nearby buildings, joining into a greater scale urban piece of strong identity.

Depending on the block, each building has seven or eight dwellings by floor with a central corridor. This walkway enlarges at both ends where it receives daylight.

At the top floor of each building there are a communal laundry, a covered porch with clothes lines and a patio-solarium with foreseen urban-garden.

At the plinth’s roof level, each building has a multi-use room connected directly with the outside terrace enabling the social services managing the building to organise workshops or activities.

This communal terrace, located at the treetops’ height and endowed with benches, is opened to the surrounding views. It integrates the three blocks into a larger community of neighbours.

Considering these are dwellings for elderly, users are meant to spend long periods of time at home and at the building. Thus, communal spaces enhance and enrich the experience of living. This dwelling’s typology is organised around a central core of serving spaces, which is surrounded by the bedroom and the living room, both understood as a continuous and flexible space articulated by the terrace. This layout enables to perceive space as limitless, not enclosed but interconnected. The bathroom segregates into two pieces: a more private area and an open space.

Spaces connect or segregate through large sliding doors, like movable walls. If they are all open, space flows around the core. Depending on whether doors either open or close, space is transformed so it can be differently used.

The corner’s typology repeats the same scheme of serving spaces. The entrance threshold is enlarged to host the dinning room, linked by a window to the kitchen. The sights connect with the exterior through a large series of frames. The enfilade of doors and windows increase the porosity of space; and as a result, space seems larger than it is.

Rooms are never enclosed, they always vanish into neighbouring spaces slightly introduced for the occupant to imagine. Tangent views flow around the core, linking contiguous spaces.

The dwellings’s structure consists on perimeter walls and pillars always located on the in-between apartments walls so that a free plant is guaranteed. It is at the ground floor level and by using cross-beams where the structure turns into an orthogonal grid of pillars of 7,5×7,5m for the parking located at the lower floors.

The construction system of the housing façade is different than the one for the plinth. The one of the dwellings consists in External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) improving the thermal inertia of the building, whereas in the lower floors Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) is used. Both systems guarantee a thermal break, providing maximum comfort.

The building is connected to a district heating system, providing sanitary hot water and central heating. Inside the houses, we opted for a low-temperature underfloor-heating system in order to obtain greater comfort with less consumption. Due to all these resources, the building is qualified with an A for European energy labeling.

Authors:

Verdana Blok K

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Verdana Blok K

Urban Design Environments Quality Liveability

Main objectives of the project

Blok K, part of the Het Funen master plan by Architecten Cie, consists of ten houses organized in a "back-to-back" typology. The apartments have their entries through a central aisle, eliminating the need for storage spaces on the facades. By slightly rotating the aisle and directing it towards open spaces between the blocks, a public shortcut and diagonal vista are created. Each house is unique, with apartments spanning two to four stories and ranging from 140 to 180 m², but they form a cohesive whole.

Date

  • 2009: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: NL Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Amsterdam
Country/Region: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Description

Blok K or Verdana, is part of a master plan by the Architecten Cie, called Het Funen, Hidden Delights , which calls for a total of 500 dwellings and a park. The block contains ten houses and the point of departure for the project was that the urban envelop should be distributed evenly over all of them.
Having been organised according to the “back-to-back” typology, the entries to the apartments are via an aisle in the middle of the block, which rids the facades of the obligatory storage spaces and technical installations that must be publically accessible. By slightly rotating the aisle and orienting it onto two open spaces between the blocks instead of onto two “blind” walls, a public shortcut has been provided and within the orthogonal grid a diagonal vista opens up. Although each of the houses are unique, with apartments ranging from two to four stories, and from 140 to 180 m², together they are one.

Authors:

Timberyard Social Housing

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Timberyard Social Housing

Urban Design Environments Quality Liveability

Main objectives of the project

This Dublin project arose from the need to relocate residents affected by road construction. The 47-unit development was designed in consultation with local residents and meets high environmental standards. The concrete structure allows for flexible apartment layouts. The triangular courtyard offers a secure social space with window seats, balconies, and winter gardens. The use of brick and timber reflects the surrounding area's architecture and history as a timberyard.

Date

  • 2009: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: O’Donnell + Tuomey

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Dublin
Country/Region: Dublin, Ireland

Description

This project in the historic Liberties area of Dublin arose from the need to relocate the residents of the existing pockets of social housing that had been demolished in order to make way for a new road. The client brief, which was set out in consultation with the local and new residents, called for an exemplar social housing development and in response, this 47-unit project provides compact city living adjacent to schools and services. Built to the latest environmental standards including fuel and energy conservation, the concrete structure enabled a greater flexibility with apartment layouts by stepping the internal party walls vertically. 2106 14137 2106 14135

The triangular courtyard provides a secure social space with passive surveillance from the adjacent apartments. This space is animated by window seats at ground level with recessed balconies and projecting winter gardens above. Brick and timber echo the existing housing and industrial buildings, and the former use of the site as a timberyard.

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