New buildings must challenge the existing practices which exhaust our environment and learn from those which have remained for centuries. In choosing a program for this location there are a few acceptable proposals including A park, museum, center, library, or a continuation of housing. It can be argued which of these programs would have the greatest impact on this progression; however, it is definite that housing has the most outstanding demand of these choices. It has therefore been decided to design a housing block with a new agenda for its construction, occupants, and biology.
On perhaps the final undeveloped plot in the medieval city-center of Copenhagen is a gravel parking lot; situated between a baroque church and its rectory. A development on this (infill) site is challenging in many senses: addressing its age-old neighbors while pointing to a more sustainable city. Delehus, "share house", is a proposal that attempts to cohere in this context while challenging the unsustainable building practices of Copenhagen; Being designed to be holistically sustainable from material selection to occupant use. Delehus is designed for a group of 4 families interested in sharing and rooftop farming. The aesthetic desire for the home was to blend into its context quietly and allow the patina of the wood and growth of the plants, trees, fruits, and vines (over time) to create an identity for the home. Its heavy monolith appearance, in reference to its neighbors, is achieved with a simple timber framework and a shingle cladding. The gables and folds of its form were informed by existing rooflines and midpoints to admit light into adjacent courtyards and neighboring facades. Its footprint (L-shaped plan) was a method to provide the necessary separation from the reformed church and the architects Union house while creating a semi-private courtyard. The back end of the home, attached to the existing housing block, is cladded in translucent walled polycarbonate to admit maximum natural light. As a result, an aesthetic juxtaposition of heaviness and lightness is created; and its interior function is a designated multipurpose space for office, business, or other. Corten steel dormers are used on windows upon slated walls for indoor comfort and in relation to their neighbors. An exterior stair facing the reformed church creates a dialogue with the baroque-style reformed church with its embedment within the form and its circulatory experience. Each of the four families has an entire floor and the remaining floors (basement, ground, and roof) contain shared programs, accessible via semipublic elevator. The shared programs in these levels include a tool workshop, guest apartment, courtyard (tree garden), common room, laundry room, bike storage, greenhouse, and rooftop garden. Delehus attempts to achieve its preservation value through its modeling of holistic sustainability in housing and biophilic beauty.
Efforts:
1.Reintroducing biodiversity into urbanized environments (rooftops, walls, etc.)
2.Using Responsibly sourced renewable materials instead of concrete, steel, etcetera.
3.Responsible waste/material management through sorted recycling effort and composting
4.building self-sufficiency through sharing, solar energy, and rooftop farming |
