Mountain Dwellings

How do you combine the splendors of the suburban backyard with the social intensity of urban density? The Mountain Dwellings are located in Ørestad, a new urban development in Copenhagen. When commissioned to design a traditional housing block and a separate parking house, we proposed the combination of the two programs. The program consist of 1/3 living and 2/3 parking. What if the parking area became the base upon which to place a terraced housing development - like a concrete hillside covered by a thin layer of housing, cascading from the eleventh floor to the street edge. The parking area wants to be connected to the street, and the residences want sunlight, fresh air and views, so by combining the two programs, all apartments can have a sun filled roof garden, amazing views and parking on the same level as the apartment. The Mountain appears as a suburban neighborhood of garden homes floating over a 10-story building, offering the best of two worlds: close proximity to the hectic life of the city and the tranquil characteristics of a suburban life. Unlike a traditional residential building, the Mountain helps to increase the property value of the project by reorganizing the program. Each residence is provided with equal amenities and the gardens are grouped in a way that is large yet intimate, with plants that change character according to the season. The building also has an integrated watering system, which helps to maintain the roof gardens. The residents of the 80 apartments are the first in Ørestad with the possibility of parking directly outside each unit. The parking area contains 480 parking spots, which service both the Mountain and VM Houses. There is also a sloping elevator that moves along the inner walls to accommodate the terracing of the structure, and in some places the ceiling height is 16 meters, giving the impression of a cathedral-like space. The north and west facades are covered by perforated aluminum plates, which let in air and light to the parking area, and the perforations in the facade form a huge reproduction of Mount Everest. During the day, the perforations appear black on the bright aluminum, and the picture resembles a rough rasterized photo. During the night, the facade becomes lit from the inside and appears as a photographic negative, rendered in the different colors of the parking levels. COLLABORATORS: PLOT, BIG, Moe & Brødsgaard [IT] Cosa succede se un parcheggio diventa la base su cui collocare case a terrazza, alla maniera di un dosso collinare coperto da un sottile strato di case posizionate “a cascata” dall’undicesimo piano al livello stradale? Mountain Dwellings è per 2/3 un parcheggio e per 1/3 uno spazio dove vivere. L’area parcheggio necessita un collegamento diretto alla strada, le case abbisognano di luce naturale, aria fresca e viste gradevoli. Così tutti gli appartamenti hanno giardini-tetto illuminati dai raggi solari, viste magnifiche e un parcheggio sul decimo piano. L’unica cosa che separa gli appartamenti dal giardino è una facciata in vetro con delle porte scorrevoli. Si tratta insomma di un quartiere suburbano di case-giardino collocate su una struttura a dieci piani, a densità urbana. Le facciate nord ed ovest sono coperte di piastre in alluminio perforato, che consentono all’aria e alla luce di penetrare fino alle aree parcheggio. Total surface: 33,000 m²