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House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅 by Direction Architects

House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅 by Direction Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 銀賞 in 建築・建物・構造物デザイン Competition Category.


銀建築· 2024

House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅

by Direction Architects

Client: Direction Architects

A' Design Award 銀賞 Winner in 建築 Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #159863

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The Design

About House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅

「ハウス・シンビオシス」は、兄弟姉妹の二家族のために建てられた二世帯住宅である。建物は角地の奥側に配置され、平面はL字型を成し、前面部分をオープンスペースとして残している。敷地の建蔽率はわずか27パーセントに抑えられ、共用の屋外空間と緑地を確保している。各住戸の面積は220平方メートルで、85平方メートルの共有コアが二つの住まいをつないでいる。ずらして配置されたファサードがバルコニーやキャンティレバーを生み出し、住戸内部同士の視線の交わりを抑えている。前面の内側ファサードには、二重の曲率をもつ彫刻的なリボン状のエレメントが展開している。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀賞

House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅は、見事で印象的なハイエンドのデザインに授与される、非常に権威ある評価である A' Design Award 銀賞の受賞作品です。銀賞の受賞作品は、きわめて輝かしく創造性に富んだ作品であり、デザイナーの傑出した専門知識、才能、洞察力を示しています。House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅は、素晴らしい代表作であり、驚くほどプロフェッショナルで、深く革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銀賞を受賞したデザインは、非常に注目すべき称賛される発明であり、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術の境界に寄与し、それを前進させます。House Symbiosis 二世帯住宅は、多くの人に羨まれる創造物であり、欲求を呼び覚まし、前向きな感情をもたらし、驚きと感嘆を灯します。

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

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