A lit­tle house in the city

One of the characteristics of the City Houses is their relative distribution, as the individual floors are staggered by half a flight of stairs. This enables partially integrated parking underneath the house and atrium. This solution offers direct access from the underground car park to the home, which is not only convenient but also makes it possible to avoid street-side parking. Thus, the shared access space is upgraded to a useful communal living space.

The new and pristine is rarely a prized quality in architecture. Homes are a setting for life, and lived life shapes and adds character to the space where it unfolds. In the City Houses, we have made wide use of wood and recycled bricks, which adds striking textural qualities and gives the houses a lived-in feel from day one.

The principle of the staggered floors gives every house a private roof terrace. This compensates for the high density by giving all residents access to a private outdoor space, where they can always find sun or shelter. Since the houses vary between two and three storeys, the height is used to delimit the roof terraces and preserve the residents’ privacy.

The houses all have the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Among other benefits, the client’s ambitious decision to secure this certification has led to the use of materials that contribute to a healthy indoor climate. It also inspired the use of 700,000 recycled bricks on the facades. Recycling is good for the environment, and the patinated brickwork adds character and gives the facades a distinctive expression.