Jul 9 2015
The architectural firm Bauart, of which Prof. Emmanuel Rey of the Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) is a partner, was awarded a "Best Architects Award 16" for the achievement of the Swisswoodhouse housing building in Nebikon, Switzerland.
Each year, this international distinction rewards the architectural quality of projects carried out in Europe. Composed of architectural practitioners and professors, the jury honors approaches that stand out because of their originality and conceptual coherence.
The genesis of the Swisswoodhouse project is in the middle of several issues related to demographic development, urban densification and the appropriate scale for housing buildings. The approach is to develop an alternative to the individual house in urban and suburban fabric, while promoting indigenous resources by using local wood.
Offering the development of housing from a wooden base module of 22 m2, the system allows users to shape their future apartment at their will, from the most modest to the most spacious. Each base module offers a variety of functions: single or with storeroom kitchen, living room, bedroom with bathroom or dressing room, bedroom with balcony, etc. This wide range of combinations and typologies, offered from the start to the project owner, has also many possibilities for future adaptation.
In terms of environmental performance, Swisswoodhouse also meets the highest requirements in matter of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, since it is compatible with the society's standards to 2000 Watts.
Following the interdisciplinary research phase, a first building at prototype value was recently completed in the locality of Nebikon. The objective was to densify a parcel well deserved by public transport and facing a stream. The selected configuration is a three-floor building with attic, made of 18 dwelling units of various types and sizes.