JAJA & ONV Architects Win Copenhagen Affordable Housing Competition

Danish firms JAJA Architects and ONV Architects, in collaboration with Bascon and Scandi Byg, have won the fourth delivery of the affordable housing concept AlmenBolig+. The order comprises 300-400 housing units on sites in the greater Copenhagen area.

Project Description from the Architects:

The winning proposal offers a huge variation of housing sizes and building typologies. The proposal offers 8 different housing typologies within the scope of the basis prize. The variety in housing types and the fixed, low prize ensure great demographical diversity in each development. This is very unique for the winning proposal and of a great significance to social sustainability in a housing area.

Søren Rasmus, architect and founder of ONV architects, says: “We are very pleased and proud to be building the 4th and 5th version of this kind of housing – this time in collaboration with one of the most promising architectural companies in Denmark. Copenhagen and all great cities in Denmark are in lack of high quality, low cost housing. A 100 sqm housing unit of ours is expected to have a rent of €1000,-/month. We simply cannot wait to get started!”

The project is based on a prefab basis module of wood surrounding a central core for wet room and technical installations, staircase etc. Like building blocks the modules can be put together horizontally and vertically. The construction system thus create a great variety of options for developing each home individually. 

The prefab module also ensures a free and flexible design of each area. Each element is has diverse facades, niches and roof design. They can be put together and form classical detached houses or free-standing houses in 1-4 floors height. By mixing different typologies, new structures and exciting spaces between the buildings are formed.

Architect and partner in JAJA Architects, Kathrin Gimmel, says: “This project is the first housing project of ours to be built in Denmark. We are so happy that we managed to create an evocative settlement at a prize for everyone to pay. The experience of ONV combined with our focus on connections between building and landscape has been of great significance to our process and we are looking forward to our future collaboration.” 

Both prize and quality were highly prioritized parameters in the judgment and team Scandi Byg were announced winner of a unanimous committee. The contract has a value of approx. €40M / US$52.4M.

Find drawings of the project in the image gallery below.