Work submitted to the Halina Skibniewskaya student competition - HEALTHY HOUSE
The design of a healthy multifamily house is based on a holistic approach to life. It assumes that both man and the planet need the right balance for existence. To ensure the balance of soul and body for humans, the house has additional features in the utility program, so that residents have access to healthy food, sports, integration.
Nowadays, people are exposed to stress and related diseases. So the procedure of putting the building and people in contact with nature was applied. Long ago in Japan, the health-promoting practice of shinrin-yoku - forest bathing, which has the effect of building mental resilience - was developed. The design also draws power from nature and shares it with the occupants. The wood facades give the feeling of being in a natural environment. Open terraces bring trees and greenery into the building.
The building resembles a settlement of cottages of different sizes arranged instead of along the street it is on a steel grate
© Aleksandra Pytka
The building resembles a settlement of houses of different dimensions arranged instead of along the street it is on a steel grate. The house looks like a vertical settlement where one can walk around even when we are forced, if only by a pandemic situation, to stay in our homes. The idea that the communication part is open forces the residents to "get out of the house".
projections
© Aleksandra Pytka
The building encourages social participation. A multifamily house should assume that the residents are a big family, they can get together to cook, spend time together in the multipurpose room, go to the cafeteria for conversation. This fosters a sense of unity and security. Diet and sports are also responsible for human health. That's why a greenhouse has been proposed for possible homemade herbs, spices, vegetables. The communal kitchen invites people to enjoy cooking and replace fast food with slow food. A small gym and a covered terrace have been located on the first floor so that one can work out regardless of the season.
elevations
© Aleksandra Pytka
Pandemic times have shown how we lose the balance of the day cycle when the boundaries between home and work become blurred. The home office has become a challenge, so the building has a workroom to discharge one's duties in peace.
The private area modules were developed in three sizes S, M, L to provide space to suit different family models. The author's solution was to open up the space of the living room and kitchen, and to provide light from all sides - the north with diffused light and the south with warm light. Thanks to a sliding wall, the living room gains additional intimacy. The front door is glazed to tilt the view of the scene unfolding at the family table, and the building bustles with life. On the south side, it is assumed that the plot must be wooded so that the window frames are filled with a landscape of greenery.
design
© Aleksandra Pytka
To make a moral commitment to the planet, the design focuses on technology based on the circular economy. Recyclable and reprocessable materials were used. The house is a hybrid of CLT wood and steel construction. The components are a modular puzzle that can be configured as needed.
By building in the present, we are not only solving current problems, but also need to consider the future cycle of the building. The steel structure is the load-bearing core, and the wood elements are the inset "house-drawers." Hybridizing conventional building materials with wood, short-term emissions, will be offset, significantly reducing emissions from material production. Wood stores carbon over the lifetime of the buildings.
Aleksandra Pytka
Illustrations: © Author
