Peter Kjær Architects: Wooden framework for flexible living
What will future homes look like? We do not have the answer to that question, but a solution could be to create robust wooden structures that allow life within that framework to beever-changing.
Wooden framework for flexible living
In close collaboration with their client, the social housing organization fsb, Peter Kjær Architects have developed a proposal for 40 social housing units and communal facilities in a green neighbourhood close to Copenhagen.
The framework for the project is a simple and robust wooden structure that can last for centuries, while the life within it can be dynamic. As opposed to typical concrete element developments, the floor plans are not fixed by the structure for the entire lifespan of the building but can be changed when the needs of the inhabitants change.
The repetition of the fixed structure and the flexible elements sustain a circular way of thinking among the future tenants; if a wall is removed from one unit, the materials could be reused in another. The ability to change your home according to your needs and the wide range of unit types will hopefully keep residents in the neighbourhood, supporting a social life around the communal garden.
Circular building is not just a question of designing structures that can be taken apart and reused at the end of their lifecycle. Circular thinking can also change the way we live here and now.
About Peter Kjær Architects
Peter Kjær Architects is a young office founded in 2017. Their mission is to push the green agenda in the Danish building industry and their practice is based on two main activities:
- They build. We try to set a good example by reusing as much as possible, and when they design new structures, they use wood as the main material.
- They do research. Innovation is challenging within the framework and timelines of most building projects. Therefore they work with collaborators from the world of science on breathable wood structures, zero concrete foundations and solutions, that can be implemented on a large scale in the building industry.