House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo by Direction Architects

House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo by Direction Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Arĝenta A' Design Award in Dezajno de Arkitekturo, Konstruaĵoj kaj Strukturoj Competition Category.

ArĝentoArkitekturo· 2024

House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo

by Direction Architects

Client: Direction Architects

Arĝenta A' Design Award Winner in Arkitekturo Category

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Verified Award Winner

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The Design

About House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo

Domo Simbiozo estas duobla loĝejo konstruita por du gefrataj familioj. La konstruaĵo staras ĉe la malantaŭa parto de angula parcelo kaj formas L-formon en la planaranĝo, lasante la antaŭan areon kiel malfermitan spacon. Nur 27 procentoj de la tereno estis kovritaj per konstruado, kio ebligas komunajn eksterajn areojn kaj verdaĵojn. Ĉiu loĝejo mezuras 220 kvadratajn metrojn, kaj komuna kerno de 85 kvadrataj metroj ligas la du hejmojn. Delokitaj fasadoj kreas balkonojn kaj kantileverojn, kiuj limigas vidan kontakton inter la internoj. Skulptura rubandsimila elemento kun duobla kurbeco disvolviĝas sur la antaŭa interna fasado.

The Recognition

About the Arĝenta A' Design Award

House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo estas gajninto de la Arĝenta A' Design Award, grandege prestiĝa rekono donata al plejklasaj, belegaj kaj impresaj dezajnoj. La Arĝentaj gajnintoj estas treege brilaj kaj treege kreemaj verkoj, kiuj ilustras la elstaran sperton, talenton kaj sagacon de siaj dezajnistoj. Oni atendas, ke House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo estu mirinda, montrinda verko, kiu estas rimarkinde profesia kaj profunde nova. Ĉi tiu dezajno gajninta la Arĝentan A' Design Award estas tre rimarkinda, admirata inventaĵo, kiu profitigas kaj antaŭenigas la limojn de arto, scienco, dezajno kaj teknologio. House Symbiosis Duobla Loĝejo estas vaste enviata kreaĵo, kiu vekas dezirojn, alportas pozitivajn sentojn kaj ekbrilas miron kaj mirigon.

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