Residential complex in Bratislava

Faculty of Architecture and Design STU in Bratislava

Project idea

A polyfunctional apartment building was the topic of the bachelor project. A land lot is located in Bratislava in Dúbravka near the House of Culture between Saratovská and Trhová streets.

The land lot is slightly inclined. In the present, it is a grass plot that is occasionally used for farm fairs and various cultural events. It is not used during the rest of the year.

The goal of my design was to create a modern housing in the center of Dúbravka for the newly-formed families with children. The concept is based on a support of interpersonal relationships. Nowadays, when the majority of people communicates through social networks (“social networks connect people”), I have decided to design a “network” that will bring people together in the reality.

Project description

On the dedicated land lot, I have designed a residential complex, which is comprised of 4 apartment buildings connected via the first floor. Buildings have 6 floors (5 top floors serve housing purposes) and 1 underground floor. Besides housing function, the residential complex also contains a day center for children and a variety of social spaces. These are generally usable by a wide range of the population. I work with the public, semi-public, semi-private, and private spaces. For example, people can freely meet on the first floor for a cup of coffee or in the courtyard near the playground.

The residential buildings have dayrooms on the 2nd floor, and their exits lead to the roof. Communal gardens are here. Each building has an exit to a terrace on the 3rd and 4th (or 4th and 5th) floors. Bridges between buildings interconnect these. Residents also have access to green roofs. Here they can organize small picnics, for example.

The flats mostly have two or three rooms. Thanks to the skeletal structure, apartments are variable. There are windows and balconies on the façade, random at first glance. The balconies are variable - each apartment has a choice of several lengths of balconies or loggias. The façade has a partially random appearance depending on how the inhabitants choose the balconies.

The buildings are differentiated via colors - two of them are gray, one is red, and the last one is yellow. These colors are inspired by an apartment building located on the near land lot.

Technical information

The supporting structure of the building is a reinforced concrete frame (8.1 m module) and peripheral walls made of Heluz 40 Plus bricks. Foundation is based on concrete footings. The COBIAX system is used for the ceiling in the basement. A large part of the ground floor is a glazed front facade.

The roofs of residential buildings are extensive green. They are accessible to residents.

Balconies use the ISOKORB system. The loggias are made of welded steel profiles with Cetris clad in white or color variants. The apartments have French windows secured to the height of the sill by a glass railing.

The bridges connecting the flats have the Vierendeel beam as the supporting structure. Between its construction are inserted glass panes serving as railings.