FUTURE VISIONSThe benefit of a digital projection and a flat concrete wall is that there are no direct limits to what can be pro-tected. Unfortunately we can’t foresee the future but we can prepare ourselves for whatever the future might bring, dystopia or utopia.

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THE SWEDISH URBAN HOUSING SHORTAGEToday there is a severe lack of residential opportunities within the larger cities of Sweden. This goes for all types of dwellings but student housing in particu-lar. Hence, a major focus of the project has been to maximize the amount of efficient liveable area and maintaining a variation in apartment sizes for the sake of social diversity. The project site is located in a central urban district of Gothenburg, adjacent to schools and universities which additionally moti-vates why some of the apartments in this project are specifically for students.

A SEQUENCE FACING THE SUNNY SIDEThe building volumes are positioned in a sequence along a south-north axis. By doing so, the volumes have limited interference with the visual connection between eastern high ground and western low ground. This orientation also maximizes the amount of facade being exposed by sun light through out the day and keeps the rocky slope that characterizes the site.

THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT The city district consist exclusively of residential apartments developed in dif-ferent stages between mid 40’s and mid 60’s. Each of these sub-areas haves clearly distinguishable architectural styles representing the Zeitgeist of each era. This new proposal continues that tradition by adopting various architec-tural characteristics of our time.

PUSHING FOR ENERGY AWARENESSOne of the main conceptual ideas of this project is a facade feature intended to raise awareness of ener-gy consumption in our everyday lives. On top of the power poles that stretch along the tram line adjacent to the site, there are projectors triggered by the tram as it passes by. The western facade serves as a projec-tion wall and the different colours represent the week-ly average energy-usage per person for the different building wings respectively.

THE FACEBOOK APPROACHIt might seem harsh to expose peoples energy identity towards the public space, even though the colours represents an average and no individuals explicitly, but surely this method will put a positive spin in the promotion of a less energy wasteful life style. Maybe this “sta-tus update” and competition is what’s needed in this time and age in order for people to truly engage and change their attitudes. In this way an aesthetic facade feature becomes a statement of how we can change individually, and the audience on first parquet for this show will symbolically be ourselves, using public transport. Not to mention the children in the school yard just across the road.

public spaces

semi-private spaces water flow

tram line

vehicular traffic

pedestrian & bicycle

exterior perspective, bird view, 16:20 jan 7th

SITE PLAN 1:600

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“CANTILEVERING” SOLIDSThe volumes are designed to have a minimal physical im-pact on the sloped rock on which they are resting. Parking garage and storage floor are either completely or partial-ly located underground but apart from that, the volume itself is risen to give the impression of a cantilever. In the western entrance, there’s a clean cut corridor sliced out of the rocks, leading into the vertical communications in-side each wing.

IN FAVOUR OF BICYCLINGGothenburg is developing rapidly as a bicycle friendly city. This project suggests to further enhance that movement by integrating necessary infrastructure and available indoor bicycle storage. In the western entrance, the tenants pri-vate bicycles are suspended in metal wires easily accessed by pushing a button. In this way bikes are better protected from theft, using floor height instead of floor area and are visually exposed as a statement for an even more bicycle friendly city.

THE BEDROOM AS A TEMPLESince the project is located in an urban district of Goth-enburg there will naturally be urban sounds surrounding the building. The distinction between sound and noise is not always clear but when standing in the middle of this site, one of the most profound impressions is the sound of playing children from the school yard right across the street. In this project the approach has been to invite these background sounds but instead properly sound insulating the bedrooms throughout the building, mak-ing them acoustic temples.

student apartments utility rooms storage space

apartments bicycle parking commercial space

communication common areas

exterior perspective, western entrance, 07:30 may 29th

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A SHAFT OF LIGHTThe apartments are spatially divided into one private zone with bedrooms and bathrooms and another more common zone. This common zone consists of a horizon-tal shaft containing kitchen, living room and an adapt-able space at the centre of the apartments commu-nication crossing. There are no clear borders between the different spaces within the shaft, however the vary-ing light conditions created from having two wall sized windows allowing natural light in, will define the differ-ent rooms.

EXTERIOR BECOMES INTERIORIn the parts where light shafts penetrates from one facade to another, brick materials of the exterior facade follows along and cover the interior walls.

INDIVIDUAL ENERGY AWARENESSInside each apartment there is a energy feature called the “energy totem”. These display energy consumption in the individual apartment for the tenant(s) and are intended to blend in as a decorative part of the interior furnishing. The purpose of these “energy totems” is to make the tenants aware of the consequences of their behaviour in order un-derstand their individual impact on energy consumption. The totems measure two things. Firstly, the colour shows energy consumption in relation to the whole house. This means that no matter how energy efficient the tenant is, if the buildings awarge is better, the individual totem will still not be green. Secondly the height of lit up bars filling up the totem, shows the instantaneous energy usage. This gives the tenant a live update of their energy usage of every day electrical items.

INDIVIDUAL CARROT / COLLECTIVE STICKThe projections on the exterior façades show the collective energy average of each building wing making a potentially bad result a collective concern for the entire house instead of an individual tenant. On the other hand, information of in-dividual apartments shown on the totems inside each apart-ment can motivate him/her to reach up to the awerage of the building wing, not letting the neighbours down.

STUDENT APARTMENTSThese apartments are extremely space ef-ficient and on the very edge of the latest Swedish building regulations for minimal housing. They are designed to be individ-ually modified into various different plan layouts depending on the needs of the current tenant(s). One of these potential layout types meet the requirements for ac-cessibility. Throughout the axis along which the student apartments are distributed, there are a couple of rent-able rooms for visitors as well as common spaces for social activities among the students. At street lev-el there are utility areas such as, laundry, in-door bicycle parking and recycling room.

LARGER APARTMENTSThese apartments are located in the wings stretching out perpendicular to the row of student apartments. All apartments share the same building volume and technical infrastructure but have different entrances and utility areas. These larger apartments vary in size and have rent-able common rooms at the top of each wing, overlooking the surrounding urban district.

PRIVATE AND COMMON In each of the larger apartments there is a clear division between private rooms such as bedrooms and bathroom on one side and common spaces like kitchens and liv-ing rooms on the other. The common spac-es are located in the light shafts making them bright and open. The private spac-es are more protected temples in terms of light and noise.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGESAll apartments are designed to allow for some alterations of room functions. Some of the larger apartments have one room well suited for rent out. Children rooms are big enough for two kids but work just as well as a more generous single child room. In the middle of the light shaft, right at the centre of the communication crossing of each apartment, there is an adaptable space. This could for instance become a great working station.

Look! Our apartment totem is green, that means our family consumes less energy

than the average of our building. Our building facade is orange though so we still have

some work to do in order to beat the other buildings.

My totem used to be green but I’ve been away this week and forgot to turn the lights off and left the

window open. I’m keeping my current energy use down but my mistake will keep me red for some time. The facade of my building is still green so I guess

my close neighbours are doing fine.

I’ve become more aware of energy consuming activities and my goal is to never bring down the

average of my house. I’m doing okay but right now I’m cooking with loud music on and the compressor in the refrigerator just kicked in. I guess that’s why my

totem is coloured almost all the way up.

interior perspective, light shaft in a large apartment

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HOUSING INVENTIONS

ARK136 - RESIDENTIAL HOUSING IN GULDHEDEN - PÄR BRATT & JACOB FLÅRBACKSEQUENCE

HOUSING INVENTIONS, FUTURE VISIONSThe housing invention studio aims at developing the knowledge and skills of working with hous-ing design focusing on sustainable solutions in the social and ecological fields. One particular object is housing design coping with the unpre-dictability of the future. Variables are for exam-ple the demographic changes and cultural het-erogeneity.

A TERRACED TOP FLOOR

Among the various aspects consid-ered thorughout this project, areas of special focus have been the following: Maximizing livable area exposed to natural daylight. Apartments that are planned with an acoustic theme, having spaces of different sound hierarcy utmost separated. Apartment layouts are separated into private and common spaces whitin individual apartments. Generous amounts of common spaces such as bookable areas for events and parties. Semi-private ele-vated natural courtyards. For students there are also common social spaces and bookable over night apartents for visistors. Lastly, materiality has been given high priority throughout the project.

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117 m2 112 m2 94 m2

83 m2 63 m2

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STUDENT APARTMENTS NUMBER TOTAL AREA AVERAGE AREA/APARTMENT

OTHER APARTMENTS NUMBER TOTAL AREA AVERAGE AREA/APARTMENT

STORAGE TOTAL AREA AREA PER APARTMENT

BICYCLE PARKING NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES PARKING SPACES / STUDENT APARTMENT PARKING SPACES / OTHER APARTMENT

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6787 m2

11 900 m2

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1 248 m2

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SEAMLESS CONNECTIONSThe desired qualities of the light shafts depend on win-dows of maximum size covering the exterior walls of the respective rooms. This is achieved through windows connecting to slabs and walls in a seamless meeting, where glass continues all the way into the walls. The result is an aesthetic concept where rooms inside con-tinue out into the exterior space.

STRUCTURAL IDEAThe design of the entrances with seemingly cantilever-ing volumes have a row of three columns underneath the projection walls. These columns are shifted inwards in order to be concealed by the glass from the outside, but still carries all the loads that are transmitted down through the wall above.

SUSPENDED BICYCLE PARKINGThe bicycle parkings in the western main entrances con-sist of a suspension system with vertical winches. The bicycles are attached and locked at the end of the winching wire and automatically lifted up to the ceiling.

ACOUSTICAL WALLIn order to tackle the noise produced in certain are-as of the building, an interior acoustical brick wall has been developed. The wall functions as an absorbent of high pitched sounds, such as kitchen rattle and stair-case stepping noise. Mid range sounds such as human speech, are diffusively reflected to improve the acous-tic properties of that room. However these frequencies are simultaneously blocked from being transmitted into adjacent rooms. Deeper sounds such as TV bass requires mass to be blocked and the double layers of brick and concrete will significantly reduce the propagation of these sounds to the other rooms