CLIENT
YEAR
STATUS
PROGRAM
COLLABORATORS
Private
Ongoing
Initiation
Housing
Borch Architecten
The infill block is research on how the FAMILIA modular system can fit into the existing historic city structures of Eupen, and to find ways to connect to the fabric of the city while keeping the flexibility of the modular system. It also aims to maintain the quality of the courtyard and bring families back to the city.
The buildings located next to the Church area are set back, honouring the importance of the old structure. The three blocks vary in height, giving the design a feeling of lightness while maintaining enough volume to realise 40-65 units.
Families come in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have shared values and wishes. They want to feel comfortable and safe in their homes, connect with their neighbours, and be part of a thriving community. ACS: FAMILIA projects offer them that.
The FAMILIA block is based on the traditional Dutch housing block. By opening the building block, it creates the opportunity to realiser a wider variety of building aesthetics. Every building block has its modular base measurements giving it a unique identity, but it is still optimised for fast construction. The height of the buildings is optimised to maximise sunlight into the courtyards.
The buildings are composed of the following grid measurements: 5.4m, 6m and 7,2m, which are ideal measurements for different housing typologies catering to a wide variety of households.
By applying a rigid structural system, you create freedom inside the building making it possible to develop different typologies in one building.
The grid structure of the building results in a freedom of layout for the inhabitants. Every apartment has a similar entrance zone, making it possible to either connect a one floor or a duplex apartment. This also offers the possibility of merging or splitting an apartment in the future.
The pre-planned central position of the HVAC shafts allows for maximum layout variation, making it possible to shift the living and sleeping spaces.
The Dutch word for courtyard is ‘Hof’. It stands for garden and derives from the spatial organisation, a collection of houses surrounding a communal garden. The enclosed garden feels like a safe space and stimulates community. Residents become part of each other’s lives by seeing each other’s homes and passing one another in the courtyard. This plays a significant role in the social cohesion between residents. The courtyard is the place for communal activities, and is the place where traditions are born. Activities such as sharing meals, parties and other events strengthen the cohesion.
ACS103 FAMILIA has an integrated electrical network, connecting all the buildings’ PV panels to a central battery system, generating part of the energy locally.
Construction is responsible for 23% of the world’s GHG emissions (Huang et al., 2017) and construction materials are responsible for more than 30% of global resource consumption. This is resulting in a shift from the traditional construction materials such as steel and concrete to more natural construction materials. By moving material efficiency, enhance building utilisation, different use of materials and reusable building components it is possible to reduce the GHG emission by 44%.
This project has the ambition to optimise the building process, and reduce the use of harmful materials, creating a community with a minimum carbon footprint and function as an example of a new type of development in Belgium.
All the buildings are designed from the ground up as a modular load-bearing wooden facade system. The modular facade elements are highly customisable in aesthetic, material use and openings, creating variation and giving identity to every building. The panels are an integrated part of the architecture, translating the seams of the panels into architectural accents that illustrate and provide detail to the facade.
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