Co-autori

Ana-Maria Branea

Location:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Text de prezentare a lucrării:

The authors propose a contemporary apartment building, an interpretation of the traditional suburban houses found nearby, as a response to the competition brief for Housing Design Competition the industrial area of Charlotte, USA. The residential units combine the advantages of both living typologies, individual and collective, in a flexible, diverse manner, providing generous, plot like, terraces. The building forms a corner plaza and a large green open space designed to house a playground, a relaxation area and urban gardening. Live/work dwellings with ample private outdoor areas are knitted together around interior street-like overpasses and co-housing typical facilities (meeting areas, fitness centre, underground parking). The living-street, designed as a communal extension of the two-story stacked ground-floor dwellings, acts as a community generating catalyst for the income level and demographically diverse mix of future inhabitants. The large variety of dwellings, ranging in sizes and configurations, are designed using materials – wood panel façade, similar to those traditionally used in the nearby residential areas to anchor the project in its urban environment. Similarly, the ground floor office and retail areas have a brick façade reminiscent of the area’s former industrial character. The authors employed passive housing principles such as cross section apartments for natural – ventilation, the most important passive cooling strategy in hot and humid climates; wood panels to provide shade during the summer but allow access of winter sun rays; plants to increase air quality and provide extra noise and heath proofing and rain water storage. Living-street walkways act as social catalysts, encouraging interactions. The structural design and housing typologies allow for high flexibility both within each dwelling and in the “dwelling assembly” process offering a considerable level of customization and variety. All dwellings are comprised of a living area with direct access to a covered or open green terrace for relaxation, amble sleeping areas and office or studio areas for work.