Karawitz Architecture recently announced the design for their passive co-housing project in Paris. Their principle of a self-governed independent residential initiative with 14 apartments (R+7), commercial premises, gardens (ground floor and roof area), car parks and communal areas (community house, laundry, bike shed and other areas) aims to reflect a new construction trend: private individual buyers joining together to form a cooperative to fulfil their own property and future housing project, in partnership with the SEMAVIP (Paris Site Manager) and Paris City and to share spaces and equipment.
In collaboration with Christian Müller Architects, Krill Architecture and Archilos Plan Development, Basement project development, who commissioned the project, realized a sustainable holiday park in contrast to holiday parks that promise nature but deliver suburbs. The developers approached the architects to come up with a scheme that allows for contemporary and luxury living as part of the surrounding nature in the German Eifel, North Rhine-Westphalia. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The surrounding neighborhood consists mostly of apartment blocks that date back from the 70’s. The buildings are large with enough space in-between and plenty of greenery. Because the whole area is built in relatively short period of time and not very long ago, it lacks the typical historic layers of the city center. Here the connection to nature is direct enough, the access to all city-conveniences – fast enough and easy, what makes the area nice to dwell. In spite of that it still lacks history, (memories of) the past and atmosphere.
c. Colomès + f. Nomdedeu architectes with Michael Rousseau architecte and Adrian Maston have studied the evolution of cities and urban environments and have produced this research as to how one might design and create a sustainable urban development. This concept is based on a living condition that balances the urban environment with an agricultural environment.
Read on for more on this research after the break.
