The challenge was to create a plan that would give enough lighting and air to all the units. The solution was to push all the units to the edge of the building boundary so that the private gardens became as small as possible. This created a larger shared courtyard in the middle that gave enough lighting for everyone and also created a great social area for the residents. The courtyard is the meeting place for both children and adults and contributes to a sense of community that other typical small housing projects don’t have.
The new buildings are connected by walls that reinforces the inner courtyard in addition to forming smaller atriums between the houses. One of the atriums is a common entrance for all the units and the other two are more private and shared by two units. This outdoor zonation gives a variation of private outdoor space, from the public street to the private gardens. The shape of the new roofs play on existing surrounding roof shapes and contributes to dividing the volumes and lower the scale.
Text — Mika Meienberger & Alliance
Image credits — Melissa Hegge
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Dwelling
