These solar-powered row houses in Örebro, Sweden are 150m2 flats designed for growing families. The site is an L-shaped corner of a larger city block and it is this L-shape and its solar orientation that determined the form of the project. Because we wanted to line the roofs with solar panels and because we wanted the solar panels to face south, we broke the project up into two parts: one part with a north-south orientation and one part with an east-west orientation. The roofline was then designed to articulate each flat individually and each flat with a south-facing plane at an angle between 25° to 45°. 4 row houses are grouped together with an east-west orientation. These flats have a saw-tooth roof with an east-west ridgeline and a 45°angle for the solar panels. This roof was designed, even its appearance to be a rack for the solar panels. The perforated metal triangle in the façade is the rack while the white plaster shows the actual roof plane. The remaining 6 row houses have a north-south orientation but also have an east-west ridgeline. To articulate each flat individually the ridgeline is placed asymmetrically and then mirrored to create two versions of the same roof. This technique creates individuality for each flat while maintaining a cohesive appearance for the overall project. The façade materials also follow the same logic. All of the facades that face east or west are treated with white plaster. All facades that face north or south are covered in dark-silver steel. This technique creates façade variation and individuality for the residents while maintaining a visually cohesive project. Another façade layer of wood lattice was added outside the steel-cladding on alternate flats to further articulate them individually and to add texture, warmth, and dimension.
