Housing is one of the core functions of architecture, circumscribing numerous typologies and encompassing a variety of issues. This week’s curated selection of Best Unbuilt Architecture highlights different forms of housing submitted by the ArchDaily Community. From urban developments to micro homes, from a deep connection with the landscape to high-end technologies, this article explores the topic of residential architecture, presenting different approaches from around the world.
Featuring a strategy to refurbish the typical urban block of Barcelona to accommodate senior housing, a net-zero energy tower in Italy and a poetics-infused villa in Greece, the round-up spans a multitude of scales and housing scenarios. In addition, a concept for 3D printed micro-homes addresses the housing shortage, while an urban development in India recuperates the values of traditional villages. The following projects reveal various ideas surrounding residential architecture in its numerous forms.
Read on to discover 10 curated projects showcasing housing typologies from around the world, along with their descriptions from the architects.
Oudong Residence
Architectural Engineering Consultants
Designed by AEC, Oudong Residence is an 8-storey building that comprises 28 condominium residences in the city area of Oudong, an established tourist destination in Cambodia. The design keeps the complexity of an urban building located in a tropical context while providing wide and open views. With landscaped terraces that offer unobstructed views to the Cambodian countryside, each residence is conceived as a private space that evokes a sense of informal luxury. Oudong residence draws a unified composition of textures inspired by nature itself.
The Cali Industrial
"The Cali Industrial" is a clash of urban modernism and industrial breath. Located in the Northern part of California, the house is designed to stand out while colliding with the climate & environment of the area. That is the reason behind the choices of materials, colour, shapes, and even exterior decor elements like this contemporary statue right in front of the house. It seems like the house has absorbed the ocean breeze and the fir-needle to offer such a fresh blend. The key idea was to achieve a symphony with the surrounding nature.
BOOMER AGE. WONDER AGE
The Baby Boom generation will soon reach its Senior stage. In 20 years, one in 3 will be over 65. Old age is a value. Wonder Age. From an architecture point of view, we have analyzed current housing, transforming characteristic buildings of the Eixample of Barcelona into suitable housing for independent senior age, recognizing its value and humanizing it. The current fragility of housing coexistence is based on the duality between the community and the private. We proposed housing units with a balance between the intimate and the social, sharing spaces with different scales of privacy.
ZEFIRO A
Zefiro A is a new building based on high sustainability in Catania, Sicily, an area with high seismic risk. Bioclimatic criteria and advanced systems with very high performance allow the entire building to achieve the energy class NZEB. On the rooftop garden, at 54 meters high, resides a pair of glass pools that act as liquid mass dampers. There is a single apartment on each floor, completely customizable in its spatial organization and surrounded by a panoramic terrace.
THE CTRL + P HOME
Oliver Thomas of PIXEL + Amey Kandlgaonkar of Ameyzing_architect
The CTRL + P Home is a 3D printed Bio-based MICROHome designed for a post covid era as a new housing typology to address affordable, sustainable and healthy living. Inspired by Henry Ford's hemp car, The CTRL + P Home is fabricated using 3D printed hemp plastics; By combining the re-emergence of an old manufacturing material 'Hemp' with new emerging fabrication methodologies' 3D printing,' we can create a new way to rapidly build sustainable homes out of a 100% bio-based material.
In harmony with nature: a house for two in Repino
Architectural bureau Kerimov Architects has designed a 280 sq. m house in Repino, Leningrad region, Russia. The clients are a couple who chose a calm forest site for a permanent stay far away from the hustle of a city. Inspired by the local Finnish architecture and Karelian landscapes, the project uses natural materials such as stone, wood, and metal. A human-scaled one-story volume harmoniously fits into the natural surroundings through carefully thought architectonics and panoramic windows, which create an inseparable connection between interior and exterior.
Villa Aquatica
Using elements that trigger exploration and play, Villa Aquatica constitutes a symbolic example of "a story of rebirth". The plot is located in Corfu, by the sea, and the house is developed along the view. The ground floor hosts the living room and the main room, whereas, on the lower level, there are two guesthouses with independent entrances. The guesthouses offer a special architectural experience of "diving" as they are bathed in the refracted light of the swimming pool.
BIRD NEST
architecture & design O.M.SHUMELDA
The project area is naturally surrounded by greenery, and the territory of the settlement is located next to the bird reserve; therefore, the future settlement was called "BIRD NEST". The territory of the settlement is over 32 ha, where there are 173 houses, with three typologies. The lake has become an important factor in developing a masterplan of the territory. We decided to expand the lake to get a promenade with bike paths and an open beach for residents.
Sharing Bounds
The design centres around the idea of 'Sharing Bounds', which draws upon traditional local villages. Every home benefits from both workspace and a residential entrance at ground level. The townhouses are oriented to create an alternating arrangement of streets and shared gardens. Urban agriculture helps consumers reduce their "Food-print" by providing them with the opportunity to purchase food grown within their community. By localizing produce, urban farms can cut down on the significant amount of fossil fuel consumption necessary to transport and landfills from packages and sell food.
HOW TO SUBMIT AN UNBUILT PROJECT
We highly appreciate the input from our readers and are always happy to see more projects designed by them. If you have an Unbuilt project to submit, click here and follow the guidelines. Our curators will review your submission and get back to you in case it is selected for a feature.
