Sustainable Urban Housing

Budapest, Hungary 4,500 sqm | 2023-2024 | Work Project at VAS

Fostering connections and supporting communities by creating spaces that encourage interaction and cultivate environments where people can feel a sense of belonging.

Key design considerations included ensuring natural light from two sides and cross-ventilation for the apartments, as well as providing adequate shading. Therefore, we opted for a U-shaped building mass around an internal courtyard. The building includes various community spaces, which were determined through a participatory design process. The circulation areas were also designed to support small gatherings, fostering casual interactions among residents.

Our goal was to create a sustainable building in terms of materials and construction technologies, as well as in operational energy requirements. We collaborated with an energy engineering team to optimize the building's mass, thermal envelope, shading solutions, and overall energy demand. We conducted a feasibility study assessing various sustainable building materials—like rammed earth, hempcrete, and wood—evaluating their applicability and cost-effectiveness with attention to LCA principles. This analysis led us to choose a CLT structure.

The project also supported the community-building process through research, study trips, and consultations with experienced cohousing architects in Vienna. We compiled materials for the marketing and recruitment teams, assisted the developer by creating a timeline with milestones for community-building and participatory design, and held informational events and workshops.