Cage Copher, Matt Ininns, Wojtek Banda, Dan Puura, Thomas Linderholm
Mattias Hamrén Photography
THE POWERHOUSE COMBINES SOLAR POWER AND PASSIVE-HOUSE TECHNIQUES TO BECOME A 0-ENERGY PROJECT. THESE 7 ROW HOUSES ARE LOCATED IN UPPLANDS VÄSBY, SWEDEN AT THE END OF TWO DEAD END STREETS. THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION WE MADE WAS TO CREATE, ON THE SITE, A GRAVEL ROAD CONNECTING THESE TWO STREETS. THIS DECISION OPENED UP THE SITE TO THE ADJOINING STREETS AND TO THE ADJACENT FOREST WALKING TRAILS. AS A RESULT WE INCREASED WALKABILITY AND CONNECTIVITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MADE THE FOREST TRAILHEADS MORE VISIBLE. THE SECOND IMPORTANT DECISION WAS TO PLACE THE LIVING AREAS OF THE INDIVIDUAL UNITS TOWARDS THE WEST, FACING THE ADJACENT PARK AND THE SUNSET. THIS ORIENTATION, COMBINED WITH ZONING REGULATIONS, DETERMINED THE SHAPE OF THE HOMES AS WELL AS THE ROOF LINE. BECAUSE SOLAR PANELS WORK BEST WITH A SOUTHERN ORIENTATION, EACH ROW HOUSE RECEIVED ITS OWN RIDGE AND 20 OF ITS OWN SOLAR PANELS. THE INTERIORS ARE CLEAN, OPEN AND MODERN WITH A LITTLE BIT OF ELEGANT INDUSTRIALISM TO DISTINGUISH THEM FROM WHAT WE ARE USED TO SEEING IN SWEDEN. THIS PROJECT SUCCESSFULLY SOLD OUT WITHIN TWO WEEKS.