House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl by Direction Architects

House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl by Direction Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Gwobr Arian A' Design Award in Pensaernïaeth Competition Category.

ArianPensaernïaeth· 2024

House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl

by Direction Architects

Client: Direction Architects

Gwobr Arian A' Design Award Winner in Pensaernïaeth Category

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Verified Award Winner

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The Design

About House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl

Tŷ Symbiosis yw preswylfa ddwbl a adeiladwyd ar gyfer dau deulu sy'n frodyr a chwiorydd. Saif yr adeilad yng nghefn plot cornel gan ffurfio siâp L yn y cynllun, gan adael y rhan flaen yn ofod agored. Dim ond 27 y cant o'r safle a orchuddiwyd gan adeiladwaith, sy'n caniatáu mannau awyr agored cymunedol a gwyrddni. Mae pob preswylfa yn mesur 220 metr sgwâr, ac mae craidd a rennir o 85 metr sgwâr yn cysylltu'r ddau gartref. Mae ffasadau wedi'u dadleoli yn creu balconïau a chantilifrau sy'n cyfyngu ar gyswllt gweledol rhwng y tu mewn. Mae elfen gerfluniol debyg i ruban gyda chrymedd dwbl yn ymagor ar y ffasâd mewnol blaen.

The Recognition

About the Gwobr Arian A' Design Award

Mae House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl yn enillydd Gwobr Arian A' Design Award, cydnabyddiaeth hynod fawreddog a roddir i ddyluniadau o'r radd uchaf, hardd a thrawiadol. Mae enillwyr Arian yn weithiau tra disglair a hynod greadigol sydd yn darlunio arbenigedd, dawn a chraffter rhagorol eu dylunwyr. Disgwylir i House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl fod yn waith gwych ac esiampl, yn nodedig o broffesiynol ac yn ddwfn arloesol. Mae'r dyluniad buddugol hwn o Wobr Arian A' Design Award yn ddyfais hynod nodedig a edmygir sydd yn elwa ac yn symud ymlaen ffiniau celf, gwyddoniaeth, dylunio a thechnoleg. Mae House Symbiosis Preswylfa Ddwbl yn greadigaeth y cenfigennir wrthi yn eang, sydd yn deffro dyheadau, yn cyflwyno teimladau cadarnhaol ac yn cynnau rhyfeddod a syndod.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: House Symbiosis is a double residency, designed to accommodate two sibling families seeking to foster close bonds while preserving individual privacy.

The house is located at the rear of a corner plot, forming an L shape in plan, leaving the front part as open space. The site allowed for a maximum of 40% plot coverage from which only the 27% was built. This planning approach shows an environmental conscious attitude to architecture, while allowing space for external communal areas for socialization as well as greenery.
Dimensions & Packaging: Project Areas

Total Housing Area: 440 sqm
Residence 1 Area: 220 sqm
Residence 2 Area: 220 sqm
Communal Core Area: 85 sqm

Underground Area: 185sqm
Building Site Coverage: 40%

Total Building are: 700 sqm
Site Area: 700 sqm
Tags: #housesymbiosis #directionarchitects #studionaaro
Production Technology: In terms of construction, the main structure was raised up level by level through various types of wooden formworks for concrete casting. In some cases, where there were double curved geometries, it was required the combination of multiple formworks in order to achieve them. A main sculptural element of the project is a ribbon-like geometry with parts of double curvature, which unfolds on the front inner facade of the building. In order to construct this complex geometry, a detailed formworking procedure was required with the usage of horizontal and vertical formworks.
Design Challenge: The main challenge of the project involved navigating the delicate equilibrium between privacy and socialization for the two families. Architectural experimentation with geometry, spatial orientation, facades and volumetric massing address this challenge. The volumetric displacement of facades generates balconies and cantilevers, strategically limiting visual contact between interiors and creating secluded outdoor spaces. A sculptural ribbon-like geometry on the front inner facade creates an impression of a moving structure.
Research: In a fast paced ever changing world, what matters most is spending more time with the people that we care about. The main scope of the brief was to create a new typology for a double residency to shelter two sibling families, that want to spend more time together, while in the same time maintain their own private spaces. As a result, House Symbiosis, was born.
Inspiration: House Symbiosis gain inspiration from the yacht, aerospaceship and automotive industries. In the same time the project is also designed as a statement of freedom. From a close-up experience, it gives the impression of a structure, floating somewhere between sky and sea.

The project responds to the evolving demands of contemporary living, emphasizing familial bonds and offering a nuanced balance between communal and individual living.
Project Duration: The project is located in a residential neighbourhood in Athens, Greece. The project's design period started during half way of 2018 and was completed in early 2019. A long project planning period followed the same year. The project started construction alongside the pandemic in March 2020 and finished around the end of 2022, with final touches happening in the beginning of 2023. The project was furnished in early 2023 and photographed by a professional photographer in May 2023.
Operation Flow: The project's emphasis on internal circulation drove the design process, adopting a sculptural tectonic approach reflected in the volumetric massing of the final structure. The resulting curvilinear formal language imparts a sense of dynamism and motion to the living spaces. The house gives the impression of heading towards two opposite directions.
Team Members: Architecture: Direction Architects
Architect Designer: John Kanakas
Architect Engineer: Kostas Christopoulos
Image Credits: Studio Naaro