Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi by Evolution Design

Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi by Evolution Design is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2017 Tuzo ya Dhahabu ya A' Design Award in Usanifu wa Majengo, Ujenzi na Miundo Competition Category.

DhahabuUsanifu wa Majengo· 2017

Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi

by Evolution Design

Client: Evolution Design

Tuzo ya Dhahabu ya A' Design Award Winner in Usanifu wa Majengo Category

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The Design

About Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi

Flexhouse ni nyumba ya familia moja kwenye Zurich ya Uswizi huko Uswizi. Imejengwa juu ya uwanja wa changamoto wa eneo la pembetatu, lililowekwa kati ya barabara ya reli na barabara ya eneo hilo, Flexhouse ni matokeo ya kushinda changamoto nyingi za usanifu: umbali wa mipaka ya kizuizi na kiasi cha ujenzi, umbo la pembetatu ya njama, vizuizi kuhusu shamba la kawaida. Jengo lililosababishwa na ukuta wake mpana wa glasi na laini nyeupe kama Ribbon ni nyepesi na laini kwa kuonekana kwamba inafanana na chombo cha baadaye ambacho kimeingia kutoka ziwa na kujikuta mahali pa asili pa kuzima.

The Recognition

About the Tuzo ya Dhahabu ya A' Design Award

Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi ni mshindi wa Tuzo ya Dhahabu ya A' Design Award, utambuzi wenye heshima kuu unaotolewa kwa miundo ya daraja la kwanza, ya ajabu na ya kuvutia. Washindi wa Dhahabu ni kazi bunifu mno, zenye maono makubwa na za kung'aa kwa umaridadi zinazoakisi kipaji, hekima na ustadi wa wabunifu wao. Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi inatarajiwa kuwa uvumbuzi unaosifiwa sana, wa kuweka mielekeo na wa kihistoria unaoleta thamani isiyo na kifani. Muundo huu ulioshinda Tuzo ya Dhahabu ya A' Design Award ni mradi wa kustaajabisha na unaoheshimika unaonufaisha sana na kupanua mipaka ya sanaa, sayansi, usanifu na teknolojia. Flexhouse Jengo La Makazi huzua hisia kali za hamu, huamsha shauku, huhimiza ubunifu na hutuvutia.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Flexhouse is an exclusive family house situated on picturesque Lake Zurich in Switzerland with a striking exterior architecture and breathtaking 180degree views across the lake to the mountains beyond. With its wide walls of glass and ribbon like white facade that winds its way around the building, this stunning three story home is so light and mobile in appearance that it resembles a futuristic vessel that has sailed in from the lake and found itself a natural place to dock.
Dimensions & Packaging: Flexhouse is built on a triangular building plot with a size of 467 m2. The total living area is 173 m2, which is spread across 4 levels: The ground level with the entrance, garage and utility spaces; the 1st floor with the kitchen and living room; the 2nd floor with two bedrooms and bathrooms and the 3rd floor with the studio and two terraces. Building volume is 934 m3. The max. building width is 7.8 m and the min. building width is 4.3 m. The building is 15 m long.
Tags: Flexhouse, residential building, family house, villa, Switzerland
Production Technology: Flexhouse is constructed with concrete floors, steel columns and prefabricated timber panels. This enables the construction thickness to remain the same for the external curved elements as well as for the internal slabs. This way the white fascia can follow the building shape perfectly. The rounded facades are clad in white aluminum shingles giving a ripple texture effect. The concrete floors are thermally activated with integrated heating pipes, which connect to the ground source heat pump.
Design Challenge: Flexhouse lies within a village, and the building regulations required the new-build respond to the context of vernacular style of the area. To get the approval for a contemporary design, architects undertook an in depth survey to assess the timeline of the various building styles of the area. The analysis proved: the area reflected the tradition of changing building styles over the past 100 years and Flexhouse's contemporary architecture represented the continuation of this ongoing tradition.
Research: The rules of boundary distance and building volume for this plot were particularly challenging; the plot at first sight looked too small to build on. Only due to negotiating the right to build closer to the railway track, the minimal building width could be increased to still very narrow 4.3 meters. Therefore the chosen design concept features a floor plan that goes from wide to narrow to follow the railway lines and shape of the plot.
Inspiration: The dynamic character of the location with the movement of trains and the building plot sitting above the street level inspired architect to develop a concept, which interprets the transient nature of this plot and creates soft transitions between the building, the plot and the landscape. The round shaped end-facades connect the building with the landscape and reflect the dynamic location. The transparency of the glass façades interlocks the outside with the inside, enabling movement of views.
Project Duration: The building works started in September 2014 and finished in March 2016. Flexhouse is located in Meilen, Switzerland, on Lake Zurich.
Operation Flow: The external fluidity of the design continues inside with an open plan interior and unbroken views of natural light. On the ground floor, the living room transitions into a dining area and loft style kitchen. Rather than close off individual floors, the design incorporates a double height open space, delivering a glimpse of the bedrooms above. The top floor studio with three glazed façades and two stunning roof terraces is the climax of the continuous flow between the inside and the outside.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Evolution Design, 2016
Team Members: Stefan Camenzind, Marco Noch, Patrick Uihlein, Mark Pinter, Silke Ebner, Vanessa Riecke
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #2: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #3: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #4: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016. Image #5: Photographer Peter Wuermli, 2016.