We took part in this invitation-only competition for a Keila development organised by Invego.
The aim in designing the area was to transform the properties and their surrounding environment into one complete whole. Landscape architecture solutions were used to create terraces for practically all of the apartments, which in combination with the outdoor areas between the buildings offered added value. Thanks to the landscape architecture, which encourages people to talk to one another and do things together, the buildings form a single linked environment featuring modern, cosy homes in a playful natural setting. Each property features a standard building with 20 apartments.
In order to provide as many terraces on the ground as possible, the buildings were designed using techniques of landscape architecture. By playing with the height of the land we largely placed the 1st floor of the building (with its car park and storage spaces) ‘underground’, following post-regulatory requirements in the logic of calculating floors. The idea was to turn the buildings 90 degrees from the detailed plan solution so that there would be no direct entry from the outdoor car park to the car park on the 1st floor (with cars entering it from the side), so that it would be simpler to fulfil insulation requirements and so that the entrance to the building would be more logically resolved. At the same time, such placement would prioritise the journey taken by people on foot through the surrounding green space (the gardens and ‘back yard’) up to the main door.
The apartment buildings follow a standard solution in terms of their plans and exteriors. Variation is provided on the driveway side due to the building’s placement on the property. All stairwells are on the north-facing side of the building so as to fit as many apartments as possible on the southern side and thereby further help to ensure that the buildings comply with insulation requirements. In shape, the building is a simple rectangle but gains its recognisable silhouette thanks to the top two floors, which are set back, and its use of facade materials, creating a cosy and unique residential area.
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