Over the past few years, a large previous industrial area in the southern part of Roskilde, 30 km west of Copenhagen, has transformed into a creative neighborhood called Musicon. As part of the development Arkitema Architects has designed 30 apartments, formed by containers and stored on steel frames, to fit the atmosphere of the area. The apartments will be built in three blocks and will be constructed by Container Living, who specializes in transforming containers into homes.
The area already has a centrally located rock museum called Ragnarock and another 70 stakeholders also have plans in motion to develop the new neighborhood that is rising on the land where a concrete factory used to lay. Over the next 15 years, the strategy for the 250.00 m² is that Musicon will develop into a vibrant area with 1.000 jobs and 1.000 homes. Thirty of these homes are part of the project Beat Box that is designed by Arkitema Architects.
The extent of the project is a ground floor in concrete with big panoramic windows, which will create a connection between the building and the history of the area. Steel frames will be built on top of the concrete base and will hold the 48 containers that will make up about 30 apartments of 30, 60 and 90 m2. The structure of the buildings makes it possible to easily move the container homes to a new location in a sustainable way that will save both resources and time. The steel frames also allow the architects to work in a more flexible way, despite the restriction that the containers hold.
Containers as future homes
Beat Box is the result of one and a half years work, where the options of the containers have been inspected, to make sure that they meet the requirements for housing. The plan is to build three blocks of apartments where most of the containers will be assembled in pairs of two to form the apartments. The rough and simple exterior of the containers will be preserved to fit the atmosphere of the neighborhood, which means that all isolation will be internal. Each container pair contains 60 m2 which will be distributed into one large apartment or to small apartments of 30 m2 each.
Simultaneously, the solution offers a quick construction period which in unison with the material selection contributes to making sustainable housing in the containers. Windows, doors and in some cases balconies will be constructed in each end of the containers to bring light into the apartments. The three blocks will be placed in a half circle with the facades facing two central streets of Musicon. Stairwells will be constructed at the back of the buildings alongside outdoor spaces with barbeque facilities and bike parking to ensure a vibrant environment around the future container homes. Source and images, Courtesy of Arkitema Architects.