Black House Urugo by Oliver Schutte is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza in Igicuruzwa Kirambye Competition Category.

IfezaIgicuruzwa Kirambye· 2024

Black House Urugo

by Oliver Schutte

Client: A-01

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza Winner in Igicuruzwa Kirambye Category

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Colors

The Design

About Black House Urugo

Inzu y'Umukara ni igice cy'urukurikirane rw'amazu yubatswe ibice bihujwe yitwa "Inzu Itasiga Ikimenyetso". Imyubakire yayo ihuza n'ikirere ishingiye ku ngamba zisanzwe nko guhitamo neza aho yubakwa, gukoresha umutungo kamere mu kugira umwuka utembere neza, kurinda izuba no gukora ingufu, hamwe no gukusanya amazi y'imvura no gusukura amazi mu buryo bwa kamere. Uburyo bwo kubaka bw'inganda butanga imikorere myiza cyane ishobora kugezwa ahantu hose, hujwe n'ibikoresho byakuwe mu gace kandi bishobora kongera gukoreshwa, kugira ngo hakorwe iterambere rirambye ryuzuye kandi ryisubiriza mu bidukikije byubatswe.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza

Black House Urugo ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cya Ifeza, ishimwe ridasanzwe ry'agaciro gakomeye ritangwa ku bishushanyo byo ku rwego rwo hejuru, byiza kandi bikora ku mutima. Abegukanye Ifeza ni ibihangano by'ubuhanga bukomeye kandi bifite guhanga kwinshi, bigaragaza ubuhanga bwimbitse, impano n'ubushishozi bw'ababihanze. Black House Urugo biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cy'icyitegererezo, gifite ubunyamwuga bukomeye n'udushya twimbitse. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye Ifeza ni igihangano kizwi kandi gishimwa, gifasha kugura imbibi z'ubuhanzi, ubumenyi, ubushushanyo n'ikoranabuhanga. Black House Urugo ni igihangano benshi bifuza, gikangura ibyifuzo, gitanga amarangamutima meza kandi gitera igitangaza.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The Black House was designed as steel structure with wooden finishes, providing space for its owners to live and work in one compact unit. All wood is sustainably grown in Costa Rica. The country is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro-climates that the house responds to locally. Operable facade elements open the building interiors towards their natural surroundings, resulting in a symbiotic relationship among nature and the built environment.
Dimensions & Packaging: A broad range of project typologies are available, from tiny house to suburban villa and townhouse. Building costs range according to sizes, materials and services that are chosen by the specific client. The goal of the No Footprint House series is to create model homes for different climatic variations, providing sustainable and regenerative building solutions to coexist with the local habitat. The Black House was developed as a prototype for the colder and mountainous climates of Costa Rica.
Tags: Architecture, Bioclimatic Architecture, Regeneration, No Footprint House, No Footprint Community, Regenerative Development, Sustainability, Sustainable Construction, Wellbeing, Zero Footprint
Production Technology: The Black House was designed as a three-level steel structure with wooden finishes, providing space for its owners to live and work in one compact unit. All wood is FSC certified and sustainably grown in Costa Rica. Operable facade elements open the interiors of the house towards their natural surroundings, resulting in a symbiotic relationship among nature and the built environment. Costa Rica is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro climates.
Design Challenge: The No Footprint House was initiated to showcase the potential of decarbonized housing, based on a roadmap to a sector-wide decarbonization in Costa Rica. The project was first introduced to the public at the 2019 international conference for climate change by the United Nations. A life cycle assessment was made to illustrate the path to decarbonization. Different building typologies can be configured with sustainable materials and components according to the specific needs of each the client.
Research: Costa Rica has shifted from a strategy of sustainability to regenerative development. This condition creates numerous implications for the Black House as part of the No Footprint House series. The project is optimized through industrial and prefabricated building techniques. It drives innovation through the development and incorporation of renewable and locally sourced materials in combination with passive design strategies and local energy production, the first of its kind in Central America.
Inspiration: The primary inspiration for the Black House and its overaching No Footprint House series is nature, as well as the question of how to ease the impact of construction on the environment. Since the creation of the first prototype, new and alternative construction materials have been developed and integrated to continuously improve project performance while stimulating local and circular economies. A broad range of typologies have been built in response to the specific locations and client needs.
Project Duration: The Black House was developed as a prototype for the colder and mountainous climates of Costa Rica. The country is defined by a unique level of biodiversity, which itself is derived from a series of micro-climates. The goal of the No Footprint House series is to create model homes for all of the climatic variations of the country, finding sustainable and regenerative solutions for living and coexisting with the tropical habitat. The overall project was started in 2018 and is projected to last.
Operation Flow: The project was started as a series of case study homes to illustrate the potential of decarbonized housing, based on a broader roadmap to level carbon emissions sector-wide. Industrial and prefabricated building techniques optimize production efficiency, in combination with locally sourced and renewable materials such as bamboo, hempcrete and different types of wood. Materials are developed in collaboration with the local building industry in order to stimulate local and circular economies.
Patents: A-01, A Company and A Foundation, with ARS Arquitectos Ingenieros
Image Credits: A-01, A Company and A Foundation, with Azure Peace