Date Type: Construcción

Rue de Meaux Housing Complex

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Rue de Meaux Housing Complex

Main objectives of the project

This building is situated in a densely populated area of Paris. Its rectangular shape integrates with the surrounding urban fabric, but its center features a carved-out interior green space. The building is divided into three sections by narrow slots, with the garden creating a surprising contrast to the bustling street. Residents access their building entrance by walking through the garden, adding to the element of surprise. The building offers a variety of apartment sizes and layouts, with model apartments designed to be flexible and neutral. Each of the 220 apartments has two exposures, overlooking both the garden and the urban neighborhood.

Date

  • 1991: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Paris
Country/Region: France, Paris

Description

The building is located in a densely populated area of the 19th arrondisement in Paris. The building, with a rectangle general shape, can be thought of as a mass built to fit into the existing urban fabric on its outside perimeter while its center has been "carved out" to accommodate an interior green space. Two narrow slots divide the constructions in there sections on the garden. The contrast between the bustle of the street and the calm of the garden creates hence, an effect of surprise for the residents who must walk through the garden to reach their building entrance. The volumetric diversity of the building results in a wide variety of apartments. However, for the buildings bordering the garden and for the blocks on the east and west separated by the slots, model apartments with fairly neutral and flexible layouts were created.

Essentially they comprise a large crosswise room facing north-south with a balcony or winter garden at either end; a conventional “night” area is adjacent. Therefore each apartment of the 220 created, has two exposures: the garden and the urban neighbourhood.

Authors:

Residential Housing KNSM-Eiland

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Residential Housing KNSM-Eiland

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

Date

  • 1995: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Souto Moura – Arquitectos, SA

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Porto
Country/Region: Porto, Portugal

Description

Authors:

Housing Rack / Pre-fab House in Berlin

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Housing Rack / Pre-fab House in Berlin

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

"Wohnregal" is a 6-story structure in Berlin that houses affordable live/work ateliers. It utilizes pre-fab concrete elements commonly found in industrial construction, providing cost and time savings. The ateliers have varied layouts thanks to the absence of interior structural walls, and sliding glass doors on the east and west façades can be opened to create a loggia-like environment. The building promotes a diverse range of lifestyles and addresses the complexity of inhabitation often overlooked in serial construction. With its efficient construction and adaptable design, it offers long-term resilience and potential for repurposing. The absence of mechanical climate control is compensated by natural ventilation, contributing to a comfortable living environment.

Date

  • 2019: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: FAR frohn&rojas

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Berlin
Country/Region: Berlin, Germany

Description

“Wohnregal” houses life/work ateliers. It´s based on pre-cast concrete elements common in industrial construction and bridges two challenges. It applies serial construction to save cost and time. At the same time it counters preconceptions that seriality always implies uniformity of the units thus addressing an ever broadening scope of lifestyles.

The term Wohnregal translates into “habitable rack”. It is a 6-story structure based on pre-fab concrete elements commonly used in industrial construction. The rack houses affordable ateliers which are renegotiating the relationship of live and work environments. There are two units per floor – oriented east and west. An open staircase along the north façade provides access. The ateliers vary greatly between 35 and 110 sqm. Thanks to the principle of the pre-fab rack spanning from façade to façade without interior structural walls they can each have a different plan layout. Sliding doors appropriated as a curtain wall constitute the east and west façades. They allow for the interior to be opened up during the summer, allowing natural ventilation turning the interior spaces into loggias. The building is situated in a corner lot in Berlin Moabit left unbuilt since the war.

“Wohnregal” uses pre-cast concrete elements common in industrial construction. It bridges two contradictory challenges of the Berlin housing market. Pre-fabrication offers cost and time savings thus addressing the rising construction cost. Countering preconceptions that serial construction always implies a standardization of the units themselves, the project offers a wide range of different live/work ateliers for an ever-broadening scope of life styles. The ceilings spanning between the facades without any interior structural support enable this flexibility.

Prefabrication in housing has been a century-long story of optimization, and has had a continuous up and down of promises stated and promises broken. The “Wohnregal” takes into consideration this contradictory history of prefabricated construction. It re-appropriates the DNA of the prefabricated warehouse which has taken the approach of optimization to its absolute limits. While exploiting that very economy it also reinterprets its structural openness to introduce a discourse that has been strangely absent in the focus on prefabrication: the complexity and variety of inhabitation. The industrial construction of the “Wohnregal” consists of pillars, beams and TT-ceilings. The latter span from façade to façade economically. All interior walls are built using drywall construction. The lack of any structural members in the interior allows for different layouts an every floor. The construction is very economical (1500 EUR/sqm) and fast (6 weeks for the assembly of the complete prefab structure).

The curtain wall consisting of sliding glass doors allows for the interior to be opened up to its surroundings during the spring and summer months, turning the living space into a loggia-like environment. There are no means of mechanical climate control in the building, as the natural breeze creates a comfortable climate even during summer days.

The rack structure of the “Wohnregal” offers a great degree of long-term resilience. The interior can be repurposed for different uses in the decades to come. This openness implies a longevity and thus sustainability of the structure. Almost all components of the building have been mechanically connected. In the case of the future disassembly all materials can be separated out and become part of a circular economy.

Authors:

Housing in Trondheim

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Housing in Trondheim

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

In Trondheim, Norway, the project aims to provide ample light and views for residents in the Svartlamoen neighborhood. Originally an industrial zone, it was rezoned for residential use as part of an ecological urban development initiative. A competition was held for an innovative wood-based residential building, resulting in a sustainable design with shared facilities, compact solutions, and flexible spaces. The project comprises two buildings: a five-story block with commercial space on the ground floor and shared flats above, and a smaller volume with single-room flats. The structures feature untreated timber components, providing column-free spaces.

Date

  • 2005: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Brendeland & Kristoffersen architects

Location

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

Description

How to give the greatest amount of light and the best view to the largest number of residents. Located in Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city, the site for the project is a rather run-down area called Svartlamoen that was established in the 18th century as an outlying working-class neighbourhood. Although it was rezoned for industrial use in 1947, all plans for such development were scrapped in 2001 when it was rezoned once again, this time for residential use. All city-owned property in Svartlamoen was transferred to a new foundation. The aim is to develop the area as an example of ecological urban development, with low-cost housing.

During this period, an initiative by the residents led to an open competition for a new residential building that would full this objective. Moreover, the competition called for innovative solutions for the use of wood in an urban context.

Consequently, the design strategy was based on shared facilities; compact solutions; simple detailing as well as a high level of flexibility with respect to possible future changes in the programme resulting in a sustainable project with an economical total build price.
The project consists of two buildings with a total of 1030 m². The largest volume is a five-storey block with commercial space on the ground floor and shared flats for five to six people on the other four floors. While the bedrooms are compact and oriented toward the north, the communal spaces face the backyard on the south side which is characterised by large windows and an external staircase. On the top floor, the bedrooms are even more compact, thereby increasing the size of the communal space. The smaller volume contains small single-room flats.

All the structural members are untreated massive timber pieces that are factory produced and assembled on site. Only the exterior wall elements are load bearing, providing a column-free space on each storey.

Authors:

VM Houses

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VM Houses

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

The VM Houses, located in Ørestaden, Copenhagen, are a residential project designed with a distinct V and M shape. The buildings are strategically twisted and turned to maximize views and eliminate obstructed sightlines between blocks. The V house features balcony condos, while the M-house offers a modern take on Le Corbusier's Unite d’habitation with improved circulation and views. The unique wedge-shaped balconies on the south facade create a sense of community and connection among neighbors. With over 80 unique apartment types out of 225 units, the complex composition of the VM Houses resembles a three-dimensional game of Tetris. The buildings showcase large glass facades, elegant wood framing, solid oak wood floors, and white concrete walls and ceilings. Extensive daylight simulations were conducted to optimize views and solar orientation, ensuring every unit receives direct sunlight throughout the year.

Date

  • 2005: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
  • Architect: JDSA / Julien De Smedt Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Copenhagen
Country/Region: Copenhagen, Denmark

Description

The VM Houses, shaped like a V and an M when seen from the sky, is the first residential project that was built in the new district of Copenhagen known as Ørestaden. Through a series of transformations the block is opened up, and twisted and turned to ensure maximum views of the surrounding landscapes and suburbs, as well as eliminate the vis-a-vis between the blocks.

The V house is conceived as a balcony condo, the M-house as an Unite d’habitation version 2.0. But where Le Corbusier designed narrow flats surrounding hundreds of meters of dead end corridors, the zigzagging of the M-house ensures that all corridors have views and daylight in both directions. These openings transform the circulation into an attractive social space. For the south façade facing the park we designed a new type of balcony- a wedge shaped plane that combines minimum shade with maximum cantilever. On a warm summer afternoon, the wall of balconies form a vertical backyard community, creating connections to neighbours in a vertical radius of 10m. As a result of the zigzagging, stepping, sloping, intricate circulation and multilevel apartments, the VM houses are populated by a swarm of different apartments. Out of 225 units there are more than 80 unique types. The many multilevel apartment types interlock in complex compositions on the façade, transforming the exterior of the VM houses in to a three dimensional game of Tetris.

The VM Houses are made up of simple but exquisite materials with large glass facades framed by fancy wood. Floors are made up of solid oak wood, and dark, hard wood have been used for the balcony floors. Walls and ceilings appear with a somewhat raw finish in white concrete, and all internal stairs and handrails come in white painted steel. All the apartments’ external walls are made up of glass.

To ensure that the VM shape was optimal with respect to views and solar orientation, a number of daylight simulations were made simulating light at different times of day and year. By using the studies we were able to design a building with 225 units where all are guaranteed direct sunlight, everyday throughout the year.

Authors:

Revitalization of a Town House

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Revitalization of a Town House

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

By revitalizing and adding floors to a 16th-century building, mia2 Architects demonstrate that responsible urban development can be aesthetically, socially, and economically successful. They removed the pitched roof of the artisan's house, replacing it with a new structure that respects the city's cultural memory. This courageous step of continuing the building, rather than demolishing it, improves its functionality and comfort while preserving its historical significance. The design incorporates a green space and a front element with balconies, creating a welcoming atmosphere and rejecting the anonymity of the city. Construction elements like exposed timber beams, concrete beams, and historical rubble walls add unique character to each space. The facade of Lederergasse, after thorough cleaning, reveals its solid structure, while the timber building on top showcases a rhythmic and reflective design.

Date

  • 2020: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: peris+toral.arquitectes

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Cornellà de Llobregat
Country/Region: Barcelona, Spain

Description

In revitalising and adding further floors to the sixteen century building we wanted to show that continuing building in the city is a responsible way can be successful not just in aesthetic terms but also socially and economically. For us, this project is a passion, experiment and space for life. mia2 removed the pitched roof of the originally three storey artisan´s house, replacing it with a new building. This new structure takes up the eaves height of the adjoining 19th century corner house and is inscribed precisely within the maximum contours for the roof space permitted by the building authorities. Upon taking a closer look what could, conceivably, sound like yet another repetition of an all-too familiar procedure, i. e. “investor maximises usable floor area“ turns out to be a courageous step and one that is far too seldom taken – given the desolate state and the oppressively low ceiling heights of the existing building, few clients wouldn`t have thought twice about demolition in order to build the maximum permitted volume.

A city is, not least of all, a memory in built form. mia2 show respect for the everyday culture of the past. With this revitalisation they prove that it is possible to raise a building´s cultural level while also improving its functionality and level of comfort.

By continuing this building, they demonstrate belief in the future of the city as a form of settlement that, in order to remain successful, has always had to combine flexibility with meeting the most elemental human needs. While this green space is not that large and it plays a significant role in the concept. A front element with balconies extends along the entire south front of the building. Next to the lift shaft a new spiral stairs as a continuation of the historic central corridor winds upwards, enriching the courtyard with an element of movement. It is like a greeting, a wave, also to the residents of the surrounding buildings: the often-invoked anonymity of the city is not cultivated here.

Construction elements such as the timber beams of the existing building that were stripped from hideous layer, or the concrete beams above the wide window openings in the new building are exposed. Historical rubble walls, clay obtained during the ground floor excavation work and used to make a rammed earth wall, the specially developed precast concrete elements for the new staircase or the green polycarbonate grilles of the balcony slabs make each space something special. In comparison the front of Lederergasse appears severe. After a thorough cleaning of its facade the old building now shows again what it is: a solidly built structure with a rendered, hole-in-the wall facade. In the timber building on top of it mia2 Architektur developed this motif further: from a vertically articulated front with openings to a rhythmically structured envelope, which, through the gently reflective volumes of the two dormers, seems to dissolve in the light of the sky.

Authors:

Práter Street Social Housing

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Práter Street Social Housing

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

The infill project aimed to both complement the site and establish a distinct character for the social housing. The design incorporates materials and a dynamic facade that create a unique identity while harmonizing with the surrounding buildings. A garden between the two volumes provides sunlight, ventilation, and street visibility. Slim balconies, overhangs, and elevated walkways enhance the street facades, connecting the buildings. The apartments offer flexible layouts, and the rooftop terraces offer panoramic city views.

Date

  • 2008: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: PLANT – Atelier Peter Kis Kft.

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Budapest
Country/Region: Budapest, Hungary

Description

The design approach for this infill project was based on both its urban role of finishing the site as well as the development of a distinctive character for the social housing. Consequently, although the project responds to the heights and proportions of the surrounding buildings, the choice of materials and dynamic facade articulated by horizontal elements, creates a singular identity. Between the two volumes, a rectangular form that continues the block and an L-shaped one that completes the corner, a garden has been generated providing sunlight and ventilation to the apartments and which can be seen from the street.

The street facades with their characteristic slim balconies and overhangs wrap around the garden, augmented by elevated walkways that connect the two buildings. The various apartment types have in common a clear and flexible layout and from the two rooftop terraces there are panoramic views over the city.

Authors:

The Mountain

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The Mountain

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

The Mountain Dwellings in Copenhagen, Denmark, combine parking and living spaces in a unique way. The terraced residences cascade from the 11th floor to the street edge, utilizing the parking area as a concrete hillside base. All apartments have roof gardens for sunlight and views. The building creates a suburban neighborhood feel within an urban density. The roof gardens change with the seasons and are maintained by a watering system. Glass facades with sliding doors separate the apartments from the gardens, providing light and fresh air. The building offers convenient parking with 480 spots and a sloping elevator. Perforated aluminum plates on the north and west facades create a striking visual of Mount Everest. The apartments are naturally heated, lit, and cooled, with south-facing orientation and natural ventilation. The Mountain Dwellings provide a balance between city life and suburban tranquility.

Date

  • 2008: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
  • Architect:  JDSA / Julien De Smedt Architects

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Copenhagen
Country/Region: Copenhagen, Denmark

Description

The Mountain Dwellings are located in Ørestaden, a new urban development in Copenhagen, Denmark. The program consist of 2/3 parking and 1/3 living. Rather than doing two separate buildings next to each other, we decided to let the parking area become the base for the terraced residences – like a concrete hillside covered by a thin layer of housing, cascading from the 11th floor to the street edge. In this way we merge the two functions into a symbiotic relationship. The parking area needs to be connected to the street, and the homes require sunlight, fresh air and views, thus all apartments have roof gardens facing the sun and amazing views.

The Mountain Dwellings appear as a suburban neighbourhood of garden-residences overflowing a 10-storey building – suburban living with urban density. The roof gardens consist of a terrace and a garden with plants changing character according to the changing seasons. The building has a huge watering system which maintains the roof gardens. The only thing that separates the apartment and the garden is a glass façade with sliding doors to provide light and fresh air. The residents of the 80 apartments will be the first in the quarter Ørestaden to have the possibility of parking directly outside their homes. The gigantic parking area contains 480 parking spots and a sloping elevator that moves along the mountain’s inner walls. In some places the ceiling height is up to 16 meters which gives the impression of a cathedral-like space. The north and west facades are covered by perforated aluminium plates, which let in air and light to the parking area. The holes in the facade form a huge reproduction of Mount Everest. At day the holes in the aluminium plates will appear black on the bright aluminium, and the gigantic picture will resemble that of a rough rasterized photo. At night time the facade will be lit from the inside and appear as a photo negative in different colours as each floor in the parking area has different colours. The Mountain Dwellings is located in Ørestad city and offer the best of two worlds: closeness to the hectic city life in the centre of Copenhagen, and the tranquillity characteristic of suburban life.

The entire building is naturally heated and lighted, as all apartments are oriented southward with large glazed areas/windows to let in sunlight. They are also cooled by natural ventilation. The parking lot/area is covered by perforated aluminum plates, which let in fresh air and light to the parking area. The building also has a watering system which maintains the roof gardens by redistributing rain through drip irrigation.

Authors:

Housing in Trondheim Illa de la Llum

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Housing in Trondheim Illa de la Llum

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

The Illa de la Llum project is located at the intersection of Avinguda Garcia Faria and Selva de Mar, forming part of the Diagonal Mar operation. The site has limited space and follows a rigid urban plan. The towers maximize the available area, allowing for varied dimensions and layouts. The towers incorporate deliberate excavations and recesses to reduce excess height and create connections between neighboring towers. Inside the towers, strips define the corridors, utility spaces, and dwellings, offering flexibility in layout. Continuous terraces project outward from the habitable strip.

Date

  • 2005: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Clotet, Paricio i Assoc. S.L.

Location

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

Description

The project consists of a set of dwellings standing on the intersection between Avinguda Garcia Faria and Selva de Mar, known as the Illa de la Llum (Island of Light), and forms part of the Diagonal Mar operation. The urban plan clearly defines a 32,940 m2 site available for construction to be shared among three buildings. Everything is very precise, with little leeway for manoeuvre, and responds to a highly debatable model that disregards links between facades and the street.

This project clearly rejects the compositional obsession with slenderness, as if it were an unquestionable compositional value. Indeed, the towers take maximum advantage of available ground area, thereby making it possible to build dwellings of different dimensions and distributions. They reach the compulsory height and the excess buildability that would result from all floors being identical is reduced and adjusted by means of deliberate excavations , recesses that increase as height is gained and which are conducted in areas that look northwards, zones without sea views or else at the points of greatest proximity between the towers.

In the towers and around each nucleus of stairs and lifts a series of strips have been defined that totally encompass the nucleus in the big tower and only three of its sides in the smaller one. The nearest is the access corridor to the dwellings. The next one, 50 cm wide, accommodates pillars and utilities. The broadest strip, 8 m wide, houses the dwellings, in which the total absence of fixed vertical elements makes a great variety of distributions possible. Another 50-cm strip once again accommodates utilities, structure and the walls that separate the habitable strip from the continuous terraces that project 3 m outwards.

Authors:

Private Housing

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Private Housing

Urban Design

Main objectives of the project

This new apartment block embraces formal invention and celebrates materials and nature. The design optimizes the site and utilizes prefabrication techniques for efficiency. The building's curved shape gradually rises from three to six storeys, culminating in a striking prow. The exterior is treated as a massive rock face, which will transform into a stunning vertical garden. The walls consist of prefabricated concrete panels clad in steel wire cages filled with stones and rock plant seeds. Balconies, some enclosed by wooden fencing, add further character to the building. The stone cages evoke a sensual, primeval quality reminiscent of ancient dry stone walls. Witnessing their transformation into a modern hanging garden will be captivating.

Date

  • 2000: Construction

Stakeholders

  • Architect: Edouard François

Location

Continent: Europe
City: Montpellier
Country/Region: France, Montpellier

Description

Attempting to invest speculative housing with a measure of formal invention is generally a thankless enterprise. However, the design for this new apartment block uninhibitedly explores and celebrates materials and nature. The brief from the property development company was for 64 flats and 47 parking spaces on a tight budget.
The architect s proposal followed a familiar and logical pattern based on making the most economical use of the site and exploiting techniques of prefabrication. For the most part the flats are single-oriented either to the east or west, and are entered from a spinal central corridor. The curved block inscribes a gentle arc in the landscape and gradually steps up from three to six storeys along its length, terminating in a prow at the south end.

The most radical aspect of the scheme is the treatment of the exterior as a massive rock face that will eventually bloom into a spectacular vertical garden. Moored on a solid stone base, the walls are formed from a series of prefabricated concrete panels measuring 2.77 by 1.35 metres. The external face of each panel is clad in a layer of steel wire cages, containing loosely compacted stones. The model is clearly the gabion cage, typically employed in river and highway engineering as a retaining element. Panels assembled in cages were set within the steel formwork and studded with a double layer of frost-resistant pebbles. A layer of sand followed, then seeds of rock plants contained in grow bags. The end of the cages are set within a layer of concrete that forms the inner face of the panel. On removing the formwork, the sand was gently shaken out, leaving the soil and seeds. A watering system installed between the joints of the panels will nurture the emerging plants. The elevations are also articulated by various types of balconies, some enclosed by rustic wooden fencing, others by timber panels. Larger enclosed cabin-style balconies on the east side are supported on angled steels tripods and connected to individual flats by narrow walkways.

The stone cages have a curiously sensual, primeval quality, like the ancient dry stone walls in fields. It will be fascinating to witness their slow metamorphosis into a modern hanging garden.

Authors: