Design of an Urban Building
The specific requirements of this residential building, and the analysis of the environmental resources of this site, brought the focus on dynamic aspects of the project demand. Four moments of importance were identified: January and July in relation to heat and cold, and Morning and Evening in relation to daylight and electricity. These peaks influenced the position of the building, the shape of facades, and on the definition of components such as balconies, openings, overhangs, photovoltaic panels, and vegetation.
The building was positioned along the West and North borders to ameliorate the access the desired resources and the shape of the open plans of the two apartments provided daylight both in the morning and the evening. The main balconies and openings were positioned to grant access to views on mountains and to solar heat gains in January, while the secondary balcony was located to access evening sun and to provide a shaded space during the hot season. In turn a smart energy supply was secured placing photovoltaic panels on unshaded facade positions oriented towards the demand peaks.
On the rooftop a common terrace offers a recreational space with top conditions of sun, views, and air. A strong characteristic of this project is that the envelope, traditionally conceived as a single membrane, is here turned into an inhabitable and permeable transition space that links the inner and the outer environments. In this project this space, composed by the balconies and walkways and by an external flexible wooden grid, allows the coexistence of people, vegetation, passive techniques, and active technologies. It modulates privacy and openness, acceptance and protection, and connects evolving human needs with the variation of natural resources.
Project credits: Archimethod SA.