Hasta La Ideas

News: plans for an apartment block of stackable modules have won a design competition for “micro-units” to help solve the shortage of small homes in Manhattan (+ slideshow).

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg named American studio nARCHITECTS as the winner of the adAPT NYC competition, which called for designs made up of only one- and two-person homes for a pilot project on a site in Kips Bay.

Zoning regulations will be waived to allow construction of the apartment block. “The growth rate for one- and two-person households greatly exceeds that of households with three or more people, and addressing that housing challenge requires us to think creatively and beyond our current regulations,” said Bloomberg.

nARCHITECTS teamed up with Monadnock Development LLC and the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation to design My Micro NY, a building of 55 apartments with 40 percent at affordable rents.

Modules will be hoisted into place over a period of just two weeks and the exterior of the building will be clad in graduated shades of brickwork.

Each residence will feature a compact kitchen with a cooker, fridge, pull-out pantry and space for microwave, plus a combined living and sleeping area and a bathroom. Storage areas are also included and comprise a loft and closet.

As well as apartments, the building will contain a laundry room, bicycle storage, a gym and a series of communal lounge and multi-purpose areas. A roof terrace on the eighth floor will provide space for outdoor events and activities.

“We’re thrilled at the chance of designing a housing prototype that will give New Yorkers in small spaces a sense of living in a larger social fabric” said nARCHITECTS’ principal Eric Bunge.

Construction is expected to begin at the end of 2013 and more schemes will be initiated in the future, as part of the mayor’s bid to provide 165,000 new homes for New Yorkers by 2014.

Above: apartment concept – click above for larger image

The adAPT NYC competition was launched in July 2012 and San Francisco city chiefs have also since voted to allow the development of “micro-apartments”.

Kent Larson, director of the Changing Places Group at MIT Media Lab, doesn’t think that micro-apartments are the answer to the housing crisis in US cities. “The problem is young people don’t really like these tiny little apartments with a pull-out sofa,” he told Dezeen last month.

Above: site plan – click above for larger image

See more stories about housing on Dezeen, including proposals for pop-up housing in garages.

Here’s a project description from the architects:

nARCHITECTS’ design for My Micro NY, in collaboration with Monadnock Development and the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation, is the winning proposal in the adAPT NYC competition sponsored by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD). Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and HPD Commissioner Mathew M. Wambua announced today that the My Micro NY development team has been chosen through a competitive Request for Proposals, which received the largest response to date for an HPD housing project.

The adAPT NYC competition was created as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s New Housing Marketplace Plan to introduce additional choices within New York City’s housing market to accommodate the city’s growing population of one- and two-person households. The City’s housing codes have not kept up with its changing population, and currently do not allow an entire building of micro-units. Mayor Bloomberg will waive certain zoning regulations at the Kips Bay site to allow the My Micro NY pilot project to be developed.

nARCHITECTS’ ambitious proposal creates 55 new micro-units utilizing modular building construction that could be replicable in future developments. The project focuses on quality and livability through features that highlight the use of space, light, and air, such as 9′-10″ floor-to-ceiling heights and juliet balconies. By incorporating setbacks as a governing design logic, My Micro NY could in principle be adapted to many sites, at a range of heights and floor area ratios, and at nearly any location in a block. The 250 to 370 square-foot micro-units achieve affordability for low- and middle-income households without any direct City subsidy or financing, in part through its use of modular design to significantly shorten project schedule and save on financing and conventional construction costs. It is expected that the project will complete the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure in the fall with construction beginning at the end of 2013.

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competition winners announced appeared first on Dezeen.

Y-shaped wooden columns support rooms and lofts at different levels inside this family house in Matsudo, Japan, by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects (+ slideshow).

A total of eight columns stretch up to the roof of the house, overlapping one another to support a spilt-level first floor containing two bedrooms and a traditional Japanese room, as well as three separate lofts overhead.

The living room, dining room and kitchen are all located on the ground floor and are loosely separated into different zones by the gridded layout of the columns.

“Although the whole house is just one space under big roof, it is divided loosely with Y-shaped frames and floorboards,” said Hiroyuki Shinozaki.

“I hope that the family uses the structure of the house in their daily life,” the architect added. “For example, people hanging pictures and figures from Y-shaped frames and marking the height of their child on it. And they will leave the trail of their life on the house like a well-thumbed book.”

A wooden staircase leads up to the split-level first floor, while ladders connect each of these rooms with the lofts directly above.

Flooring and furniture throughout the house is also wooden, matching the timber columns.

The roof of the house runs parallel with the angled wooden braces, as do the windows on the gabled facade.

An L-shaped terrace is positioned at the back of the building and wraps around the rear of the dining area.

Hiroyuki Shinozaki has completed two other houses named after letters of the alphabet in the last year. House K features a skinny west wing, while House T has huge rectangular holes in the walls and floors.

See more architecture by Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects, including a cafe filled with courtyard gardens.

See all our stories about houses in Japan »

Photography is by Fumihiko Ikemoto.

Here’s some project details from the architect:

House H

Client: family
Location: Chiba, Japan
Site area: 161.82 sq m
Built area: 64.02 sq m (39.56%)
Gross floor area: 115.41 sq m (71.31%)

Completion date: Dec 2012
Structure: Wood Flame, 2 story
Maximum height: 7.96 m

Project Team: Hiroyuki Shinozaki, Sota Matsuura, Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio
Structure engineer: Tatsumi Terado Structural Studio
Contractor: Hirohashi Komuten Lo.,Ltd.

Above: site plan

Above: ground floor plan – click above for larger image

Above: first floor plan – click above for larger image

Above: long section – click above for larger image

Above: cross section one

Above: cross section two

Above: east elevation

Above: north elevation

Above: west elevation

Above: south elevation

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Hiroyuki Shinozaki Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

The lower floor of this long narrow house by Dutch studio 123DV is mostly buried beneath two grassy mounds (+ slideshow).

123DV started with a level site but were obligated to make the ground less fertile before commencing construction, so they removed the top layer of the soil and used it to form two mounds around the volume of the new house.

“We though we should use the soil,” architect Jasper Polak told Dezeen. “This was for us an opportunity to surprise the client and make a mark. By creating two hills, we had an anchor point for the house on the vast flat plot and we could raise it up to create a maximum view.”

Named Bridge House, the two-storey residence has its upper level on the peak of the hills, while the lower storey is submerged and only revealed in the gap between the two slopes.

This opening is wide enough to accommodate an entrance at the front, as well as a second door and garage at the back of the building.

Living rooms and bedrooms are all located on the upper floor and include a large lounge and dining room with glazed walls on two sides.

The house was designed to be self-sufficient and generates its own power and heating using geothermal energy storage and solar panels. Water is sourced from a private well and rainwater is collected and reused where possible.

Other houses recently completed in the Netherlands include a residence with an exterior staircase and a timber-clad houseboat.

Photography is by Christiaan de Bruijne.

Here’s some more information from the architects:

A landscape full of surprises

The roads are lined with wildflowers. In summer, purple and yellow loosestrife are in bloom. Timber-framed farmhouses, enclosed meadows, ancient fields, and wonderful oak trees with their thick trunks turn your thoughts to days long gone.

This villa is set in a newly developed estate in the unique, tree-lined landscape of the Dutch Achterhoek, where unexpected scenes of rural beauty are always just around the bend.

Above: lower floor plan – click above for larger image

In front of the house and its setting is a wide-open space that stylishly frames the park, most of which is open to walkers. The park, in turn, blends into the landscape around it.

Above: upper floor plan – click above for larger image

The landscape architect for this project carefully restored the property to its original state, with rows of trees throughout the landscape like theatrical sets. To make the soil less fertile, the top layer was removed throughout the property. In the interest of sustainability, this soil was reused to form a raised area beneath the house. The result is a traditional Dutch terp dwelling, a house on top of a hill that contains the cellar.

Above: long section – click above for larger image

Sustainability also inspired the design of the house. The villa is self-sufficient. At any time, the occupants can go off the net without losing their energy supply. Water is drawn from a private well, and the practical and sustainable built-in features include solar panels, roof and floor heating through thermal energy storage, reuse of rainwater, a septic tank, shielded power cables, and Heat Mirror glass. This unique glass acts as an efficient and environmentally friendly awning, cooling the house and keeping out excess heat.

Above: front elevation – click above for larger image

Above: side elevations – click above for larger image

Above: rear elevation – click above for larger image

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by 123DV appeared first on Dezeen.

A team of architects including Belgian studio JDS Architects and Danish firm CEBRA are close to completing this harbour-side housing development modelled on a cluster of floating icebergs in Denmark (+ slideshow).

Due to be inaugurated this spring, the complex is one of the first projects underway at De Bynære Havnearealer, the new docklands quarter of Aarhus that is set to accommodate 7000 inhabitants and around 12,000 new workplaces once complete.

JDS and CEBRA teamed up with Dutch studio SeARCH and French architect Louis Paillard to design the buildings, which have been collectively titled Isbjerget, or “The Iceberg”, in reference to their jagged white forms.

These volumes are described by the architects as a series of “peaks and valleys” that are deliberately tapered to create visual corridors between buildings.

Over 200 apartments are located within the four L-shaped wings of the complex, including two-storey townhouses in the lower levels and penthouses located on the uppermost floors.

The architects won a competition to design the Isbjerget complex in 2008.

A number of large developments are in progress in Denmark’s docklands, as ADEPT and Luplau & Poulsen are working on another harbour-side housing project in Aarhus, while Tredje Natur and PK3 have redesigned Copenhagen’s harbour with a series of artificial islands. See more architecture in Denmark.

Photography is by Mikkel Frost, apart from where otherwise indicated.

Above: photograph is by Søren Kjær/Aarhus Luftfoto

Here’s some more information from the architects:

Isbjerget (the Iceberg) is located at at a prime location on the outmost harbour front in Aarhus’ new quarter ‘De Bynære Havnearealer’. Like many other industrial harbour fronts, the former container port of Aarhus is being transformed into a dynamic new neighbourhood. Isbjerget is among the first projects to be finished in an area that on completion will be home to 7,000 inhabitants and provide 12,000 workplaces. Its total site area of 800,000 m2 makes it one of Europe’s largest harbour front city developments.

The inspiration for Isbjerget originated primarily from the site’s extraordinary location. Isbjerget is laid out as four L-shaped wings, where the street spaces in between open towards the water. In order to obtain optimal daylight conditions and views over the bay, the building volumes are cut up by jagged lines. The roofs rise and fall into peaks and valleys, which create visual passages that across the individual volumes – like floating icebergs that constantly refract one’s gaze. Thus, even the back wing’s residents can enjoy the view.

The varying and spectacular forms that derive from this simple algorithm make it possible to fit a varied range of different dwelling types within the complex – from two-storey ‘town houses’ and affordable smaller flats to exclusive penthouses in the peaks of the iceberg. The variety of residences with different balconies, shapes and orientations as well as the combination of owner-occupied and rented flats aim at creating socially diverse urban surroundings that form a lively local community: the building complex becomes a neighbourhood instead of a mere series of housing blocks.

Name: Isbjerget (The Iceberg)
Commission: Private
Type: Lead consultancy
Category: Residential
Client: Pension Danmark

Place: Pier 2, Aarhus, DK
Year: 2008 – 2013
Purpose: 208 flats (both rented and owner-occupied)
Size: 22.000 m2
Budget: DKK 300m / € 40,2m excl. VAT
Prize: Competition 1st prize
Service: Architectural services incl. landscape Architects: CEBRA, JDS, SeARCH and Louis Paillard Collaboration: NCC, Tækker R.I. and Hamiconsult

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SeARCH and Louis Paillard appeared first on Dezeen.

London designer Ab Rogers believes this student housing project he recently completed in London could set a blueprint for compact modern living in the city (+ slideshow).

Scape is a housing block for 600 students in London’s East End and contains study bedrooms that are no more than 12.5 square metres in area. Inspired by sleeping quarters in train carriages, the rooms feature space-saving measures such as cupboards that double up as desks and seating in the windows.

Ab Rogers says his vision was to “create a forward-thinking design language for small spaces that would appeal to a young target audience and be able to be reapplied in other environments”.

Corian surfaces give each room a clean white aesthetic, plus each one includes brightly coloured furnishings in one of six vivid shades.

“For the Scape project, we started with the rooms, which are highly engineered pieces of industrial design given a domestic veneer,” said Rogers. “Each is an individual pod, made off site.”

Block colours also aid orientation through the building, as a bright red staircase spirals up from the reception to floors that are each labelled with a different colour.

“The common parts needed to support a complicated social infrastructure for socialising, study and care for hundreds of young people,” added Rogers. “Dynamic integral wayfinding systems and vibrant colour codings knit the buildings’ internal parts together, while the individual rooms offer complete calm for every occupant.”

The accommodation is accompanied by two restaurants; a cafe named The Kitchen and a Pan-Asian restaurant entitled Box Noodle. Students can either dine inside, or order takeaway to eat in their rooms.

The Kitchen (above and below) comprises a busy European-style cafe with bright green chairs and suspended yellow lighting.

Box Noodle (below) features a more minimal interior furnished with long tables, wooden stools and narrow red pendant lights.

Scape welcomed its first occupants in September 2012.

Another student accommodation concept was recently revealed by MEK Architects, whose MySpace housing in Norway was modelled on the concept of a social network. See more stories about student housing.

Photography is by John Short.

Here’s a project description from Ab Rogers Studio.

A rethink of student accommodation by Ab Rogers Design

In September 2012, SCAPE, an innovative rethink of student accommodation, will welcome its first occupants. Two minutes walk from Mile End tube station in East London, its 600 rooms might be small, at 12.5m2, but have been perfectly conceived by Ab Rogers Design. Created for serious study and student socialising, cupboards turn into desks and the bed becomes a bar. Each room has its own compact bathroom and neat fitted kitchen, as well as a window seat that makes the most of all the available light.

Ab Rogers Design was inspired by the railroad couchette, and looked to other examples where space is limited and function is key, such as submarines, yachts and caravans, to come up with a solution that has maximized efficiency and minimized any loss of usable floor or wall area. The result is rooms that are innovative, livable and attractive. Materials include Corian, foil wrapped furniture and woven textiles, and each room has a simple colour scheme, matching white with lemon yellow, turquoise, vermillion, violet, electric blue or spring green.

For the communal areas and the bar, deli and restaurant, ARD has looked to multi-use public places such as museums and galleries and introduced a system of partitions on tracks and grids that allow spaces to be reconfigured to best suit the changing needs of the building. Colourful and flooded with light, it’s hoped that these areas will be at the heart of the community.

There are two affordable, high quality restaurants on site, The Kitchen, which is an all-day deli café, and Box Noodle, which offers a fresh take on Asian-fusion cooking. A state of the art fitness centre will be opening soon, below the main accommodation.

Design: Ab Rogers Design
Architect: Ernesto Bartolini, DA Studios
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Praline Design
CLIENT: Grosvenor House Group PLC
CONTRACTOR: HG Construction

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by Ab Rogers Design appeared first on Dezeen.