The idea of the project was to create highly efficient and compact apartments aimed at young couples and families living in the booming neighborhood of Eggenberg in Graz. The floor plans were carefully designed to maximalize the use of space. The realatively small budget was carefully used to choose high-quality finishes as well as sustianble and long-lasting materials. Furthermore, every apartemnt, regardells of the size features either a garden or a balcony space.
The Eggenberg neigborhood of Graz has changed massively in the last 10-15 years, and it still keeps growing. It's a family friendly neighborhood close to the city centre but the proximity to the university makes the project attractive to students as well. Urbanistically, the neighborhood is still in the process of redeifnining and finding its new identity. This project sets a new standard of quality for small-size apartment blocks. The size is a perfect balance between the existing single family houses surrounding the plot and new larger apartment blocks being built close-by.
The project has been awarded the Klimaaktiv Bronze award for the level of sustainability it has reached. For example - no EPS board were used for insulating the facade, instead we opted for the inovative WI Bricks with integrated thermal insulation. The pv panels on the roof and a ground source heat pump contribute as well the the energy consumption reduction. The total CO2 balance was also considered and kept as low as possible throught the construction process.
The apartments maximize the use of space without sacrificing any of the commodities. The floor plan flexibility allowed for adjustments from the buyers throughout the construction phase - like easily converting the 3-bedroom apartment into a 2-bedroom apartment. A lot of attention was set into designing welcoming common areas, like the front yard, the entrance area and the hallways. A skylight brings sunlight all the way to the ground floor. The facade features a broom stroke texture which brings it to life. Metal slats are placed over balconies to provide privacy and block the direct sunlight. They continue, as a design element, throughout the building - like on the ground floor, hiding the parking places, or as a railing in the hallway.
The client was extremly satisfied with the result, as the apartements sold-out even before the project was done. The future residents were mostly drawn to the design, elegance and simplicity of the project - stating it as main factors for choosing our project as their future home.
AVA is an award winning studio specialized in architecture, urbanism, design as well as research. Our Graz based studio has worked on a variety of projects, each one having been developed with particular attention to its individual case, while holding on to AVA’s mission. Specifically, we believe that as planners and designerss, we have the responsibility to improve the city’s quality through creating real solutions. More generally, some of the key strategies of our team are creative reduction of form, meticulous attention to detail, and always achieving a noble architectural design with a strong focus on functionality and accurate response to site surrounding. That is why, at AVA we avoid formalistic and overly fashionable architecture, instead of striving for clear communication of ideas through our projects. We aspire to create timeless architecture by reducing form, efficient and functional use of materials, at the same time remaining conscientious of costs.