A101 URBAN BLOCK-MOSCOW COMPETITION
Moscow, Russia
A101 Urban Block Moscow was an international design competition organized by the Masshtab Development Group:
​
The Urban Block Standard has been developed in the context of the International Architecture Biennale in Rotterdam in 2009.
​
It is based on the observation that most housing developments in the world use standard units that are repeated to fill a specific site, enabling developers to reduce the cost of design and time needed for development. The urban qualities of these areas are often poor.
​
The alternative that has been developed in Western Europe over the last decades is site-specific design. This leads to higher quality, but is also complex, time-consuming and expensive.
​
The Block City concept aims at combining the advantages of standard design with the qualities embedded in site-specific design.
THE SOLAR BLOCK
The Solar Block consists of a series of eight, symmetrically placed, standard towers surrounding a large courtyard at its center. Each tower comes with a base configuration of five single room apartment plans. The fact that four out of the five apartments on each floor are corner units, affords maximum flexibility of solar orientation, a multitude of varied views and excellent cross ventilation. The solar block will therefore provide a minimum of 2.5 hours sun exposure for all units at zero to forty-five degrees orientation in both standard and mirrored configurations.
In accordance with the wishes of future inhabitants, the base configuration can be expanded into two, three, or four room apartments. This expansion is created by the addition of economically prefabricated bed-bathroom cantilevers, thus providing real custom solutions within a standardized system.
At ground level, the Solar Block concept is designed to maximize open car-free space. All parking is in three level structures between the towers and is solely accessible from the street.
A forest of white birches within the closed courtyard will provide enjoyment and access to nature for the inhabitants.