SANDBAKKTUNET

ABOUT 

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The Sandbakktunet is a complex of five neat blocks of flats that form a quarter of residential building in the south part of Trondheim. The project of 51 apartments is located in one of the typically residential areas of the city, among charming single family housing. The character of the surrounding architecture has significantly influenced the scale and shape of the designed buildings. Respect for the existing architectural order, an attempt to keep and to continue it, and the will to create a friendly architecture for both its future users and their existing neighbors marked out the main directions of thinking about the shape of the project.

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The newly designed object was divided into five smaller cubature, which have only three and at some parts even two stories. Thanks to the fragmentation of the solid and the low height, the complex not only fits well in the scale of neighboring buildings, but also respects the surrounding environment - it does not overwhelm it and finds itself in the right place - creating kind of space where everything is in a right size and human friendly.

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The small height of the buildings, come not only from aesthetic or ideological aspects, but also purely functional reasons. It is important for ensuring adequate insolation of neighboring areas. New buildings do not overshadow the surrounding plots and houses, so they do not compound the living conditions of the inhabitants. Attention has also been paid to other factors that could cause inconveniences. Because of potential noise from the northbound traffic, the buildings were moved from the northern boundary towards the south direction as far as possible.

In order to make the buildings even better fit into the context, natural materials such as wood have been used for its finishing. Wooden elements appear on facades, floors, balustrades and other decorative parts of the project. Neutral coloring in shades of brown, white and grey continues the color palette characteristic for this area. There are also single, intense yellow and orange accents that highlight the entrances to the buildings and apartments, what gently diversifies the facades. The irregular form of wooden balustrade on the galleries side and the interesting panels that cover the escaping staircase mask the less attractive parts of the building and at the same time decorate and diversify its facades. Apart from interesting architecture and attractive location, the project provides also very functional apartments. The complex offers 22 types of apartments ranging in size from 44.5m2 to 119m2, each with an independent, private balcony or terrace, and a parking space in the underground garage. All apartments are orientated, the living rooms and balconies are located on the south side, allowing to take full advantage of the afternoon sun and enjoy its warmth in spare time. The care for ergonomics, comfort and respect for the existing order created a coherent, and attractive in functional and visual way architecture.