Korari Relocatable Home
We are excited to announce that we won the Built Smart / APL Relocatable Home competition!
The brief was to design a home that can be prefabricated for under $200,000 using the Built Smart Metrapanel system. This can be built in a factory, and then delivered to site as a completed home.
The Korari design by Donnell & Day was based on three main aims, sustainability, affordability and accessibility.
Harakeke / Korari is a native flax plant that can be found throughout New Zealand. Historically it was an important part of daily life - useful, strong and beautiful. When harvesting the flax, you always leave the three central fronds - the ancestors/grandparent, child, and parents. The flax plant became the metaphor for the Korari Relocatable home. Its strength, functionality, flexibility and ability to nurture were an important part of the design. It is divided up in to three sections representative of three generations, that learn and gather strength from the past, protect the present and nurture the future. The three rooms are arranged so they offer the option of allowing a middle room to create a flexible play space and study. By using local sustainable materials that suit the NZ context it fits within its environment. Solar screen options enable the prefabricated relocatable home to be customised in a simple way to the site, solar direction and the families needs.
The judges comments were as follows:
A plan of beautiful simplicity and clarity divides the plan of the winning entry into public and private zones separated by a full building length storage and utility wall. As a starting point this plan, the controlling document in any building, establishes that the designers have fully-resolved this scheme. Accommodating multi-generational family needs, a highly functional flexible and accessible room is easily transformed from play space, to home office, to third bedroom. The generous size and positioning of glazing within the living area, along with the subtle raked ceiling would serve to increase the visual spaciousness and natural light within the combined living / dining / kitchen area all year round. The building envelope is simple in form and material but sophisticated in its detailing and finish, incorporating a thoughtfully designed timber bi-folding shutter which serves as a sun shading device in its closed or open position. This scheme also impressed the jury by its comprehensive attention to environmental issues, including sustainably produced and low emissions material selections, high performance thermal envelope, electricity generation, power usage and water efficiency. The whole presentation was clear, logical and detailed. The comprehensive level of information provided gave confidence that this project has been thoroughly considered, that it can be built within the cost target in the competition documents and that it will present no difficulties in construction. The perspective renderings were both realistic and atmospheric and they were of considerable assistance in enabling the judges to understand the ‘feel’ of the proposal as it would appear to occupants.
Altogether this was an extremely well-considered and elegant solution.
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