House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅 by Direction Architects

House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅 by Direction Architects is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 建築、樓宇及結構設計 Competition Category.

銀建築· 2024

House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅

by Direction Architects

Client: Direction Architects

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 建築 Category

23,822

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #159863

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅

「共生之家」係一座為兩個兄弟姊妹家庭而建嘅雙拼住宅。建築物座落喺轉角地段嘅後方，平面呈L形佈局，將前方留作開放空間。建築覆蓋率只佔基地嘅27%，騰出咗共用嘅戶外空間同綠化區域。每個住宅單位面積為220平方米，並由一個85平方米嘅共用核心空間連接兩個住宅。錯落有致嘅立面設計形成露台同懸挑結構，減少室內空間之間嘅視線接觸。一個具雙曲率嘅雕塑感絲帶形元素喺前方內立面上徐徐展開。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。House Symbiosis 雙拼住宅是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

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