Housing Development

Prototype Multi-Family Residential
Development Competition - Mieszkanie PLUS
Sponsored by BKG Nieruchomosci S.A. Poland

The competition was organized in conjunction with the government’s National Housing Initiative, which has the stated goal of increasing housing affordability for young families with children. Competition entries were required to rely on existing prefabricated construction systems in order to reduce cost.
BTARCH + proposed buildings meeting the competition criteria, which could serve not only as models for individual structures but more importantly for entire developments in urban areas throughout the country. Key to our proposal is the establishment of spatial hierarchies meant to foster social bonds between families. We propose that each entryway serving 14 apartments is the basic organizing unit of any development. Our design of each entryway unit provides spaces and introduces proximities, which together force interaction between inhabitants. All entryways share a large communal space between the buildings allowing for broader interaction at the scale of the entire development.
We worked with the prefab manufacturer to alter their system in order to completely hide its manufactured nature. An example of this is the introduction of vertical striations to the cladding panels allowing us to disguise panel joints. Construction cost for the development was estimated at less than 2,000 PLN per square meter (approx. $50 per square foot).

Competition entry date: June, 2017