Social sustainability

Revitalization of an old dairy farm (1909) as media agency hub   The client and user, the owner-managed media agency UNBOUND MEDIA, founded in 1997, has set itself the goal of being the most socially sustainable employer for a creative workflow and also operating its offices in a virtually climate-neutral way. Jan Ladwig The HUGO building was designed in 1909 on an almost square floor plan and was initially used as a dairy farm. Following war damage, the original structure was partially altered, including the large windows being bricked up to standard size. Over time, the building was used as an assembly hall, boarding house and homeless shelter. In 2018, UNBOUND MEDIA began a comprehensive refurbishment, transformation and exp... More

For the first time in nearly 60 years, the University of Warsaw has introduced a new public dormitory, setting a fresh benchmark for student living in Poland. Functionality, accessibility, and community are the pillars of this project. “We designed a space where architecture is not just about form but, above all, about enhancing the quality of life for its residents,” say the architects from Projekt Praga. Nate Cook A modern approach to student housing The University of Warsaw’s Student House No. 7 redefines student housing with its modern, functional, and community-driven design for 382 residents. Selected through an architectural competition organized by the Association of Polish Architects (SARP) and the Universi... More

SOCIAL HOUSING and PIXEL-FARMING: a challenge on which the Mayor of Peccioli, Renzo Macelloni and architect Maria Alessandra Segantini, CEO of C+S Architects, are betting to repopulate the smaller towns in Italy.Segantini: “It is a new vision to give everyone a social home capable of generating quality food at affordable prices, regenerating impoverished landscapes, building cohesive multi-ethnic and multicultural communities, de-carbonising the construction sector and introducing innovation and circularity in the construction field to restore balance between buildings and nature.” C+S Architects (an architecture office based between Treviso and London, recent winner of the San Marino Roll of Honor and Italian Architect 202... More

According to the 2016 Police Safety Index, Bispehaven in Hasle was the most unsafe residential area in the country. A study carried out by Østjysk Bolig, the owner of the buildings, showed that insecurity and crime were closely connected to the existing area plan and design. But an ambitious renovation project led by LINK has changed all that. Thomas Illemann Disconnected basement rooms, deep and covered staircases and deserted footpaths were all factors that made residents feel unsafe. So the goal of the extensive transformation was clear and simple: to create more safety, better living opportunities and more freedom for residents. Thomas Illemann Original residential complexBispehaven is a residential complex not far fr... More

Project nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize 2021   Shiroka is a fishing village located on the shores of Shkodra Lake, near the border with Montenegro. Its inhabitants lived for centuries from the lake, men fishing with small rowboats and women tending orchards and weaving carpets by hand. The reaction to the end of a communist regime that had deprived citizens of living from traditional “private” activities was widespread mistrust in the public sphere, which led to a period characterized by uncontrolled occupation and privatization of public space. As result, the public space of the waterfront of Shkodra lake was occupied with illegal constructions such as private houses, restaurants, private parking areas, and kio... More

The couple Mr. & Mrs. Shroff are Vadodara's most envied and admired couple who devoted a lot of time in uplifting the lives of Gujarat's rural population. The needs of each family member are completely divergent from a carpentry workshop to a chef kitchen. The complexity of diverging requirements and the manner to put them together was the main challenge.The plan was kept deceptively simple and the idea was to use natural materials to create a warm inclusive home. The uniqueness of each wing had to be maintained while bringing out a feeling that it was a simple home. The interaction between the spaces inside and outside is extremely compelling and of great visual appeal. The driveway is a simple curve brick wall which screens the o... More

Wohnen ohne Auto (literally “Living without a car”) is a co-housing project, developed in a process of participatory design with a community of future residents. The project features a series of strategies which aim is to minimize the superfluous, to estabilish a collective attitude towards sharing and to encourage in general an environmentally conscious behaviour.The building is located in the former airport area of Munich-Riem and is part of the fourth and last construction phase of its reconversion. Its core point lies in the voluntary renouncement of car ownership by all the inhabitants, which is reflected in a sustainable planning approach.Together with three other new constructions, the project forms a rectangular city block around an... More

Located on a small harbor in Amsterdam’s IJburg district, Jonas demonstrates a holistic approach to sustainability—merging technical innovation, biodiversity, and social well-being into a unified vision. The near-energy-neutral building incorporates 850 rooftop solar panels and a low-temperature heating and cooling system connected to the district network. It also uses a thermal energy system that draws heat and cooling from the nearby IJ lake. Jonas provides 190 mid-market rental studios, 83 owner-occupied apartments, and shared facilities. Designed by Orange Architects for Amvest, with contributions from multiple partners, the project emphasizes community and sustainability. Stijn Poelstra Stijn Poelstra Caption... More

NORD Architects, together with Sahl architects, Danish Boligbyg, DAI and ARKPLAN, have won the project for a new district and block of student accomodation in Gellerup district of Aarhus, Denmark for the Brabrand Housing Association. The student flats are the first part of an ambitious master plan for the coming decade to convert the Gellerupparken area of the city. The building concept creates various communities of different scales and characters within a modified perimeter block. The 12,500 m2 building accommodates 354 housing units, a large common courtyard, and many smaller diverse communal areas resulting in accommodation that enables and encourages informal and spontaneous meetings and relationships between the student residen... More