Text description provided by the architects. In April 2009 Kjellgren Kaminsky in combination with builders Höllviksnäs FörvaltningsAB, won an open competition for passive houses. The competition was organized by the city of Malmö for the last vacant site in the Bo01 housing exhibition area, in the western harbor. The competition design was developed further and has now been built.
Green Living
In addition to being passive houses the buildings will also have a number of further measures for ecological sustainability:
1. All homes will be equipped with solar panels.
2. All homes have exterior venetian blinds. This will allow winter sun to enter the building while the summer sun is reduced.
3. Flower boxes, lawns, green walls and green roofs make the area into a green oasis.
4. Environmentally friendly building materials will be widely used; for instance all wood is FSC certified.
5. All appliances are 'A' rated for minimum energy consumption.
6. All taps are designed for minimal water consumption.
7. Inhabitants are offered green electricity.
Place for All
Along the west side of the plot a micro park with plants and benches creates a varied street space for meetings between residents and visitors.
Exterior
In order to give each house its own character we have given them different cladding materials; plaster, fiber cement boards and wood. Aluzink is used for the roof. Architecturally the houses are 'linked' by the use of similar detailing, which also helps to give the buildings their human scale and unique expression. There will be flower boxes of white perforated metal in selected windows, for instance in bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. Each house will have unique coloured windows and doors.
Interior
A material palette where rustic, earthy materials are contrasted with minimalism. Recycled materials keep prices lower and are environmentally friendly, aswell as providing a beautiful patina to the houses from the start. Entrance, laundry and kitchen floors are made of recycled terracotta. In the living room and in the dining room the floors are made from a rustic and resistant whitewashed pine and the internal stair is a brushed pine. In order to get more light into the apartments and provide surprising views of the surroundings, some window reveals have a mirror-face.
