In an effort to increase the sense of community in a high rise, Danish firm C.F. Møller partnered up with Brut Architecture and Urban Design to design a new residential and mix-use tower in the Nieuw Zuid district of Antwerp, Belgium.
Their winning design is of a classic residential high-rise that is encapsulated by a layer of terraces and balconies placed crisscross above each other. The balconies of up to four units vertically on top of each other will be designated as a common space for residents of these units to share.
Glass walls will divide the balconies, balancing the need for private space with the effort to make each resident visible to one another when relaxing in the outer envelope.
By extending the common space outward, it avoids interior space to be compromised for building community spaces that will be sparsely used. Furthermore, units would have mixed affordability, allowing diverse residents from students to families to share a vertical mini-community.
The building was designed in the hopes of not only establishing a sustainable community for people, but also to incorporate environmentally sustainable practices. Passive-house standards are applied to eliminate the need of central heating.
For more information, visit C.F. Møller’s press release site.
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