Renovation of a six residential houses and improvement of the surrounding area
The project involves the reconstruction of six residential buildings abandoned during the construction stage, and the beautification of the surrounding area. As a result of the replanning and renovation, apartments that are competitive and suitable for the rental market were created, the overall energy-effectiveness of the building improved, and attractive surroundings developed.
Originally, each building was intended to have four two-floor apartments, each 125 m² in size. The first floor was planned to be a large space with a kitchen connected to a guest room, a narrow terrace, and a parking space for a car right next to the window. On the second floor, according to the plan, there would be two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a narrow balcony. The area between the buildings was planned to be devoted to access roads and the forest.
During the reconstruction process, the forest area around the buildings was modified into a park, in which car parking spaces and rubbish bins are placed in three locations in empty zones as far as possible from the windows. As the entrance into the apartment building is possible from four different sides, a circular pedestrian way has been laid out around every building, inside of which a private green area for every apartment is found. All the pathways around the buildings meet and function both as paths for walking through the park, and as connections between the car parking spaces, children’s playgrounds and the entrances to the buildings.
The first floor of the apartment has been replanned, with the residential zone having been moved to a lighter area, and with a wider terrace at ground level now installed. During the re-design process of the second floor, the two large bedrooms were replaced by three smaller yet highly comfortable bedrooms. In order to improve energy effectiveness and the proportions of the facade, the bedroom windows were made smaller, and a new horizontal facade divider was introduced. In the facade finish carefully sawn pine logs are used, with a texture similar to the subtly rugged plastering, creating a countryside-house feel not far away from the capital.
To improve the energy-efficiency of the facade, the foundations and the roof are insulated. For heating, air-to-water-type heat pumps are intended to be used in combination with solar panels.
