Life in Layers

FA VUT - Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture

Project idea

The housing design follows the idea that a person's life is made up of layers that are interconnected. These are either tangible, such as space, or intangible such as relationships and social contacts. The place in which we live must be adapted to this fact. This proposal is a combination of apartment buildings in cities where every element of the environment is much closer to one another. Additionally, at the same time, the community gardens meet the need for "land ownership’’ which usually fills family houses on the outskirts. Buildings are a combination of community and
private housing to give people a choice between more or less privacy. However, features such as a cafe, shared offices, a small shop, or community gardens located on the ground floor are shared spaces. This area is not exclusively based on these buildings, but also on a square that connects them with each other and with the adjacent greenery and small
playgrounds.

Project description

Each of us has experienced loneliness. Loneliness, not caused by being alone, but by the way we are or rather are not socially connected to our surroundings. We can also experience loneliness at a music concert surrounded by thousands of people. This is because we have no social connection with them. In the long run, this loneliness can affect our mental health, including depression, and may even increase the susceptibility
for diseases such as diabetes, sleep disorders, overweight, or cancer. So why are we building our homes by becoming more and more disconnected from our surroundings?



Family house with a garden - "the most perfect way of living that an individual can achieve". According to sociologist Hartmut Häussermann, the family home is primarily a symbol of independence, security and personal freedom. Owning a piece of land with a house gives the impression of anchoring on the ground, and thus in society. Currently, daily commuting to a larger city is no exception for work from a distance of fifty or more kilometres and then returning home in the evening, straight to bed.



Fortunately, Polička is a place that is not currently threatened by economic emigration, ie residents do not travel daily to work in the nearest major cities. On the contrary, people from the surrounding villages travel to Polička for work. This is due to the geographical location of Polička. The shelf is approximately in the middle between two regional cities - Brno and Pardubice, from which it is 60-80 km away. Also, it is also due to the greater number of agricultural and industrial companies in this city. However, it is necessary to have bear in mind that the number of jobs in this sector has been declining for a long time, while the number of jobs has been increasing in the service sector. If Polička is not able to create a working environment for the formation of these types of jobs, people will have to come to terms with travel.

The threat that arises during the construction of monofunctional colonies of family houses is that if we build family houses and "bungalows" indefinitely, as is happening on the outskirts of Polička, the city limits will only increase. We won't even realize it, and the daily commute by car to work will not be to the next town, but to the town centre, which will be further and further from the Polička border.

However, it is not possible to underestimate the motive of your own outdoor living space. For example, the population living in apartments travels to its gardens with a primitive shelter or to their huts on weekends The garden is a crucial factor why people crave houses.

But the construction of typical houses is dangerous from a broader perspective. They are often oversized and only partially used after the departure of the offspring. Another question is, what is the life of children who live in these houses and are taken by car to school every day, or are forced to use irregular bus connections?

I myself witnessed this type of housing. Early morning getting up and a 40-minute drive to school and the subsequent return home with my mom, who finished at work. Yes, if I wanted to stay in town, I could. But there were two p. The bus ride took more than an hour. The second problem was that the last connection was at 10 pm. So, even if I wanted to stay longer in the city on Friday night, it was problematic. The only luck was that I already had a social connection in the city - friends. It was worse for my younger sister, who, as a little girl, can't just be left alone in a town 40 kilometres away from home and we didn't know anyone in our small village. How could we? We lived in a family house, surrounded by a wire fence, and the only contact with the neighbours was either with the saleswoman in the store or with the postman. I didn't really know our neighbour's name. Like we lived on an island.
The surroundings of the area are specific in that it consists of a mix of socialist apartment buildings, houses built in the 70s-80s. years of the last century, but also the current unattractive family houses, accidentally scattered, as well as crumbs. There is also a school nearby, but the field is even closer. A field that is ready for more crumbs - bungalows. The walking distance to the town centre is 15 minutes, which is the optimal distance. However, with the current trend of construction of detached houses, without any additional function, this distance will increase and may become that a pleasant walking distance becomes a car ride. It's time to sweep these crumbs. With my bold urban design, I want to create a whole that will provide privacy for its inhabitants, but on the other hand, it will not close itself from the surroundings, but rather welcomes the surroundings with open arms. It will provide a place of home, at the same time it will also create a place for business or relaxation. I create places where people can choose what they want to do.

As I wrote at the beginning, we live in layers. One day, these layers are bigger and more intertwined, the next day, they can be completely tiny. We share our lives with other people, some of whom we only meet for a few minutes on the bus, and some of them we spend half a day. We only create some layers with those closest to us, such as the home layer. But there are also layers that are made up of hundreds or thousands of people. For example, hockey team fans who met at the stadium. Obviously, not everyone knows each other, but they are still united by at least one thing that forms their layer in life. And that's right. These different interactions help us create communities. But we cannot just stay on a theoretical level. All these meetings (if we omit the Internet) need a physical place.

For this reason, in the project, I dealt with the design of several types of spaces, with different dimensions, intimacy and purpose, because it is necessary to think about where a person lives their day.

Technical information

The buildings are designed as wooden buildings made of solid wood, specifically CLT panels, which are placed on a concrete slab 1500 mm deep. The construction of underground garages is made of reinforced concrete. Dilatation takes place between buildings, so it is not necessary to dilatate buildings. Perimeter load-bearing walls transfer the load to the ceiling and the entire construction system is provided by NOVATOP: The partitions are non-load-bearing. The roofing is designed as an extensive green roof in combination with a flat roof - terraces.

Energy generation for heating and hot water is provided by a trivalent energy source for pellets, solar energy and a heat pump. In each of the seven buildings, there is a boiler room and a separate room for the storage of pellets. The solar panels, which are located on the roof on the fourth floor, are photothermal, as these panels have come out as a more efficient choice in a rough calculation. I

Due to fire safety, the windows on the porch are only tiltable with automatic closing when a fire is detected.

Documentation

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