Public Architecture Solutions must be accepted by the people Unser Name BASEhabitat verdeutlicht den sehr selbstbestimmten Anspruch an Lehre und Forschung unserer Institution. Entsprechend eigenständig und grundsätzlich versuchen wir den Gegenstand dieses Lernens und Forschens, den Raum, zu begreifen. Dabei wollen wir den Menschen in den Mittelpunkt rücken als das Wesen, das sich mit dem Raum umhüllt, um sich ein Zuhause zu geben, um geschützt zu sein vor widrigen Umwelteinflüssen, um sich einen Ort zu schaffen, der sein Dasein fördert und bereichert, an dem sich Zukunft denken lässt. Wir suchen die Herausforderung an unsere Baukunst auch dort, wo selbst jene grundlegendsten Anforderungen an den gebauten Lebensraum nicht erfüllt sind. Deshalb haben wir mit BASEhabitat ein Projektstudio eingerichtet, das Theorie und Praxis zu Projekten bündelt, die mit den Mitteln von Bautechnik und Raumkunst einen Beitrag zur nachhaltigen Verbesserung und Erhaltung der Lebensqualität in Entwicklungsländern leisten. Über Schönheit spricht man nicht.
Housing Revolution: Better, safer, smarter, more sustainable dwellings Green Prefab Shed Homes: Small Space Living by Design Sheds do not sound like something you would want to live in, but as modern modular, mobile and miniature houses become increasingly popular sustainable living space options, well, even products dubbed with titles like the Big Shed and Little Shed is not such a bad idea. There is an art to designing smalls-space structures so they are convenient and compact but also comfortable and livable – and a certain lifestyle of simplicity sought by many that makes them a good match for some people.Plus, these designs by Dwelle are relatively affordable as home prices go: you can buy ones of these all-in-one buildings (and not worry about the hassles of construction) for between fifty and eighty thousand dollars. This surprisingly cheap and simple-yet-modern shed home is has its own living area complete with fireplace, elevated bedroom loft space and separated restroom and cooking areas.
Architecture for Humanity The Fab Lab House wins Solar Decathlon Europe people’s choice award « FabLab House The Fab Lab House wins Solar Decathlon Europe people’s choice award More than 20,000 people have visited the most popular solar house in Madrid, produced by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). IAAC announced that will apply in the next edition of Solar Decathlon Europe in 2012. Prince Felipe said it looked like a boat but the spectacular house produced by Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia was also called “peanut house” “cinnamon submarine,” “forest zeppelin” or “whale belly” . The queues to visit the house have greatly surprised the team of the Fab Lab House during the ten days of competition: more than 20,000 people have visited the solar house. The team has been awarded with the people’s choice award, ex aequo with the University Cardenal Herrera. “The competition has been a great way to push the spirit of innovation in the field of architecture and construction in these times of crisis. Fotos Adrià Goula
Help in a Hurry: Disaster-Relief Container Homes for Japan Abstract designs and architectural theory are well and good, but when the stuff hits the fan (or tsunami hits the land, as it were) these notions are put to the test in a very rapid and real way. The result shows who is ready to roll out workable housing solutions to address catastrophes as they unfold. The Ex-Container project is a joint effort to address the displaced populations following widespread earthquake and tsunami devastation still unfolding in Japan. Cheap, easy and fast, container homes provided an obvious answer. Containers are of a size that offer a flexible framework in terms of location, transportation and domestic application – they are versatile-but-stable enough to make for makeshift residences, semi-temporary homes or long-term dwellings (or hotel complexes) depending on demand. Interestingly, in this case it was determined that using manufactured, container-framed units would be quicker, simpler and more cost-effective than reusing existing containers.