Tank or eco-villa?
>
The need for buildings is increasing in Bodrum, Turkey as the city’s population, urbanization and industrialization are all growing rapidly. As a result, opportunities have emerged within the building sector where particular attention to design approaches and materials used during construction has been made to minimize pressure on the local environment. International architectural studio A++ has been called to intervene by the Turkish Government by creating a new study into designing a new format of housing.
The new development will house a number of highly efficient, low cost, nZEB buildings which reinvent the steel structures of a shipping container by altering its size and finish so its original form is disguised within the new design. The architects have aimed to make use of the containers as they are widely available in Turkish ports.
Within the port of Istanbul alone it is estimated that millions of containers are shipped on annum with thousands left in junk yards where in recent years it has become less expensive to buy a new container than ship it back to its location of origin. The idea behind the new sustainable homes employs specific strategies which have been uniquely created so that each design takes advantage of each container’s modularity, transportability and strength without being constrained to its shape and size.
The new villas will be characterized by one or two storeys, where extended high performing glazed surfaces and large outdoor living areas will allow for an unobstructed view of the sea and the surrounding nature, and super insulated walls with a specially crafted stratigraphy designed around the climate of the region to provide the highest level of comfort in a high performance building.
A++ have worked with Carlo Colombo, Partner of A++ and design director for interiors and product design for the firm, on the layout of each home paying particular attention to orientation and the surrounding environment. Special care is taken in the choice of the technological systems that the new homes will use to heat and cool the interiors as well as providing hot water for sanitary use.
A specifically engineered unit will be able to perform all tasks effortlessly along with providing mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. The use of electronically controlled active systems will ensure a tailored control of energy load and optimize usage around the inhabitant’s comfort.
STUDIO A++