Recommending party
The project has been submitted by: Ofis Arhitekti
LOCATION
Country: Slovenia
City: Izola
Address:
AUTHOR
Designer or design team architects:
Ofis Arhitekti (Rok Oman, Spela Videcnik)
DETAILS
Plot Area: 5452 mq
Gross Area: 4588 mq
Of which residential: 95% Public/communal areas:5% Facilities for the public: Business/trade: Offices:
Number of residential units: 60 (2 blocks containing 30 apartments each) Typology of users: families, old aged people Total building costs Euros: 2.400.000 Building Cost = Total Bulding Cost / Gross Area: – Floor area ratio = Gross Area / Plot Area: 4588. 5452 (or 4:5) Work started on date: 2003 Work completion date: 2006
OWNERSHIP
Promoter: Slovenian Housing Fund of Izola Allotment rule: Slovenian Housing Fund of Izola Reduction cost percentage compared to the market value:
– assignement: 50%
– rent: 30%
Description of the project:
This project was the winning entry for a competition to design two social housing blocks. There were many reasons the proposal won however, it was for the most part due to its handling of the economic, rational and functional issues, its ratio between gross vs. saleable surface area and the flexibility of its plans. When signing the contract it was necessary to prepare construction documentation for the building at the cost of 600€ per m2 of net surface area. The brief required 30 apartments of different sizes and structures and the given urban plot was 2 blocks of 60 x 28 meters. The apartments are small, with minimum-sized rooms according to Slovenian standards and they have no structural elements inside them, thus providing flexibility and the possibility for reorganization. The housing blocks are set out on a hill with a view of Izola Bay on one side and of the surrounding hills on the other. Since the blocks are subject to a Mediterranean climate outdoor space and shade are important elements. The project proposed a veranda for each apartment, thus providing an outdoor space that is intimate, partly connected with the interior, shaded and naturally ventilated. A textile shade protects the balcony and apartment from prying eyes, yet due to its semi-transparency still allows the owner to enjoy the views of the bay and the strong colors create different atmospheres within the apartments. The small rooms appear visually bigger than they are because the textile shade creates a perspective effect which connects part of the exterior with the interior. The balcony modules are designed as an efficient system, providing shading and ventilation for the apartments. Textile elements fixed on the front of the balconies block direct sunlight and accumulate an «air buffer» zone. In the summer the hot accumulated area behind the shadings is naturally ventilated through perforated side partitions of the balconies (10 cm holes). In the winter the warm air stays in the area and provides additional heating to the apartments. Boxes at the side of each balcony also provide room for air-conditioning units.
