Dassow Affordable Housing

( Competition Winner Project)

Our Dassow project is a comprehensive urban and architectural design, focused on extending the city with a thoughtful approach to affordable housing. The master plan strategically expands Dassow by optimizing road networks and building orientations to enhance sunlight exposure, open views, and connectivity.

Architecturally, the design balances modern efficiency with a welcoming rural character, integrating communal spaces that foster interaction. The phased construction ensures seamless integration into the town’s fabric, creating a resilient and vibrant community.

Comprehensive Urban Masterplan

Optimized Orientation and Views

Buildings are strategically rotated to align with the road network, ensuring maximum sunlight exposure for all units. This orientation also opens unobstructed views, enhancing residents' connection to the surrounding landscape.

Phased Construction Approach

Influenced by the rotated road layout and connections to the old area, the project embraces a flexible, phased construction plan. This allows for gradual development, ensuring smooth integration with the existing urban fabric.

Each housing cluster includes greenery, a designated playground or seating area, and in some areas small rainwater harvesting ponds fostering a sustainable and community-friendly environment. The distribution of these green zones is strategically reflected in the urban plan.

Every housing complex features a private green area, reducing city maintenance costs while providing residents with dedicated outdoor spaces for privacy and relaxation.

The superiority of this plan lies in its feasibility for implementation in different construction phases. Therefore, there would be no need to build the whole main road in order to construct just a few buildings.

The colorful points in the plan represent areas for various open-air activities such as playgrounds, sitting areas, and BBQ spaces. These zones are evenly distributed across the entire area, ensuring accessibility for all residents.

A Home for Every Story: Different Ways to Live

We believe that everyone's story is unique, and their home should reflect that. That's why we're offering different types of homes to suit different needs:

Gathering Places: Where Stories Meet: We're creating special places in our community where people can come together. These places can be used for all sorts of things, like spending time with friends and family, playing, learning, or getting important services. They'll change and grow with us, just like our town.

Houses for Every Family: Whether you're just starting out or have a big family, we have homes for you. From cozy homes for couples to bigger ones for families, each one is designed to be comfortable and welcoming, while still keeping the charm of our town.

Shared Spaces: Making Friends and Memories: If you like being around others but still want your own space, we have something special for you too. Our shared living spaces have areas for everyone to enjoy together, like kitchens and living rooms, but you'll still have your own private bedroom and bathroom upstairs.

Flexible Housing Layouts

Connected Living: The Cluster Concept

Optimized Building Orientation

Considering Dassow’s solar trajectory and architectural factors like heat and light distribution, select buildings were strategically rotated with the road layout. This ensures all units receive sunlight—primarily from the south, or alternatively from the east or west—avoiding predominantly north-facing homes.

Interaction of Houses and Distances

The housing layout is carefully designed to maximize open views for most houses and windows, minimizing obstruction from neighboring buildings. Additionally, there is a deliberate spacing of at least 9 meters or more between each house and the one in front, ensuring privacy for homeowners or residents.

Wind protection

In Dassow, the prevailing wind predominantly blows from the west, with significant influence also from the north and northwest due to coastal winds. Particularly in winter, these coastal winds can bring cold temperatures, leading to heat loss from the exterior walls and surroundings of buildings.

Natural windbreaks

To mitigate the impact of unwanted winds, we strategically plant green barriers composed of trees to serve as windbreaks, minimizing wind penetration from those directions. Additionally, we carefully consider the positioning of trees to ensure that their shadows do not excessively shade our building, allowing for ample sunlight and avoiding overshadowing.

Current Design & the Future Vision

The Orange pockets aim to serve as ideal spots for street furniture in a World with less cars & more socialization in the future…

Currently, they're occupied by cars. It's important to shade these areas to prevent overheating in summer and foster a more favorable microclimate.

Cluster Concept

Our project, aims to provide diverse, inclusive, and sustainable housing options for residents of Dassow. By offering tailored living spaces, fostering communal connections, and prioritizing environmental consciousness, we envision a vibrant community where everyone feels at home and empowered to thrive.

Adaptive Parking Strategy for a Dynamic Urban Future

For a large-scale residential project with 346 units and a total of 870 required parking spaces, our approach balances current needs with future adaptability. Recognizing evolving urban mobility trends, we propose an initial allocation of 50% of the required parking while ensuring flexibility for future adjustments. Two strategically placed parking structures at the main entrances enhance accessibility and optimize land use. Additionally, parking areas between houses are designed for potential repurposing, allowing for a seamless transition towards more sustainable and efficient urban living.

Enhancing the Rural Atmosphere

The design focuses on reducing street widths to create a more intimate, pedestrian-friendly environment, reinforcing the rural charm of the area. Around the pond, thoughtful planning cultivates a vibrant and inviting atmosphere, enhancing its appeal as a central gathering space while preserving the natural character of the landscape.

Diverse Housing Plans for Varied Needs:

Vibrant Communal Spaces

Integrated gathering areas foster interaction and strengthen community bonds. These adaptable spaces evolve with the needs of the residents, encouraging shared experiences and collective growth.

Guest Room and Storage Facilities

For the convenience of residents and their guests, our common building includes guest rooms available for short-term stays. Additionally, ample storage facilities are provided to accommodate residents' belongings, ensuring a clutter-free living environment and enhancing overall comfort.

Gym and Gathering Area

Promoting physical well-being and community cohesion, our common building boasts a fully equipped gymnasium. Residents can engage in fitness activities or gather for group exercises, fostering a culture of health and vitality within our community.

Room Renting Options

In line with our commitment to flexibility and inclusivity, residents have the option to rent out designated rooms within the common building for various purposes. Whether it's hosting events, conducting meetings, or organizing workshops, these versatile spaces cater to a wide range of needs and preferences.

In essence, our multi-purpose common building serves as the beating heart of our community, nurturing social connections, facilitating collaborative endeavors, and enriching the lives of our residents. By embracing adaptability and inclusivity, we create a vibrant and dynamic space where every individual can thrive and contribute to the collective journey of our community.

Multi-Purpose Common Building: Fostering Community and Adaptability

At the heart of our community lies a versatile common building, designed to adapt to the evolving needs and aspirations of our residents. Embracing a flexible-function concept, this communal space serves as a dynamic hub where social engagement flourishes and diverse activities thrive. Here's a glimpse of the offerings within our common building:

Flexible-Function Concept

Driven by the unique agreements and needs of our cluster's inhabitants, our common building embodies flexibility at its core. Its versatile layout and modular design allow for seamless adaptation to accommodate a myriad of activities, from social gatherings to collaborative projects, ensuring that the space evolves alongside our community.

Social Engagement Zones

Promoting interaction and camaraderie, our common building features designated areas for social engagement. Whether it's cozy corners for intimate conversations or open spaces for lively group activities, residents can come together to forge meaningful connections and cultivate a sense of belonging.

Renting Garage Option

Recognizing the diverse needs of our residents, we offer the flexibility to rent garage space within the common building. This multifunctional area doubles as a co-working space or workshop, providing a conducive environment for creativity, collaboration, and innovation.

Multi-Purpose Common Building:

Sustainable Energy Concept: Designing for a Greener Tomorrow

Rainwater Harvesting Ponds:
Strategically placed ponds capture rainwater for irrigation and groundwater replenishment, reducing stormwater runoff and conserving resources.

Shared Technical & Laundry Rooms: Six-unit clusters share facilities, optimizing space and reducing construction costs.

Multi-Purpose Common Building: Offers workshops, storage, co-working spaces, and flexible guest/work areas, promoting resource efficiency.

Solar Power Integration:
Rooftop solar panels and thermal systems provide clean energy, with potential for large-scale PV and solar farm installations.

District Heating & Innovative Systems:
Centralized district heating and ground-source heat pumps ensure efficient, eco-friendly warmth across the community.

2D Timber Panel System:
Using renewable timber panels ensures fast, cost-effective construction with a reduced environmental footprint.

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