WE Architecture

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari

BAVNEHØJ ALLÉ
YOUTH HOUSING

We architecture

ARCHITECTS
We architecture

LOCATION
Copenhagen, Denmark

AREA
1580.0 m2

PROJECT YEAR
2019

PHOTOGRAPHER
Rozbeh Zavari, Marc Jay

MANUFACTURERS
Keflico

ENGINEERING
Drias Ingeniører

COLLABORATORS
Jn Construction

DESIGN TEAM
Kasper Munk, Alicja Krzeszewska, Corrado Galasso, Alexandru Pavel, Camille Tailardat, Philip Thusholdt, Simon Skriver, Ieva Vysniauskaite, Antonina Salmina, Marek Harnol, Sofie Brincker

Text description provided by architect.

Using wood in an innovative and expressive way, Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing seeks new and ambitious standards within affordable youth housing.

Bavnehøj Allé consists of 40 one-room apartments on 38-45 m2, with an impressive ceiling height of 3 meters.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari

All apartments are accompanied with either a generous balcony or terrace.

The apartments are detailed with honest materials such as natural wood and raw concrete (load bearing construction).

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari

The building is a simple composition of two diagonal blocks connected by a centrally located gallery on all floors. Using sustainable New Zealand pinewood for the lamellas it creates a unique patchwork pattern, which contributes to a distinct, vivid and warm expression on the façade.

Likewise, it also adds a semi-transparent extension of the apartments that embrace privacy as well as providing an active and living façade.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay

The custom-made cassette system is consecutively arranged in a horizontal or vertical grid on top of a metal frame consisting of 8 individually designed balcony cassettes each with their own unique composition.

The cassettes are composed in a rhythmic arrangement, which in its entirety creates a homogenies patchwork.

At first glance, the façade appears to be a continues and rhythmic pattern, but upon closer inspection, the facade quickly reveals the complex variation that does not leave two similar corners anywhere.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay

The New Zealand pinewood, titled Accoya®, is a sustainably sourced, CO2 neutral and 100 per cent recycle friendly wood as well as FSC®, Cradle to Cradle Gold certified holding the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

It is natural modified Radiata Pine which makes the wood exceptional resistant against rot and fungi – without use of chemicals.

The wood is light, stable and UV resistant, and holds a Class 1 in durability with a warranty of 50 years above ground.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing consists of two apartment blocks positioned directly in line with the North-South and East-Vest going axis. Strategically placing all the practical functions such as parking, garbage disposal, staircases, galleries and entrances in the North-East, the disposition allows for balconies and the interior main living rooms to fully benefit from the sunlight and the stunning view over the nearby park and historical cemetery. 

The minimalistic plan solution of the one-room open studios naturally integrates the exterior surroundings through the extruded facade containing generous 5-6 m2 balconies.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Rozbeh Zavari
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay

Inside the apartments, the end walls towards the balconies is one large floor to ceiling window, and in its 3-meter full height it adds a smooth transition to the exterior – integrating the balcony as a second room in each apartment.

The lamella façade performs an essential function as sun screening that naturally filters the sunlight, allowing parts of the light into the apartments meanwhile protecting them from overheating.

Located on the border between the city and the green, Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing differentiates from the surrounding buildings with its expressive timber façade, while creating a natural transition to the park and cemetery.

A local and architectural landmark heightening the standard within affordable timber housing.

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
© Marc Jay


Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
Site_Plan-01

Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
Site_Plan 


Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
Elevation 
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
Section 
Bavnehøj Allé Youth Housing
Vest_Facade

WE Architecture
T +45 3122 2077
WE Architecture
Raffinaderivej 10, 2300 København, Denmark