“Weave Housing” in Denver by Meridian 105 Architects

‘Weave Housing’ is a design proposal for an urban mixed use complex in Denver CO, with 160 apartment units, retail and parking. Inspired by a children’s potholder loom, the facade texture supports multiple interior apartment arrangements with units occupying one or two bays in width, and one or two levels in height, allowing for flexibility and plan variety. By weaving occupiable volumes across the facade, private balconies and overhangs are created, establishing zones of natural shading and meeting the desired passive energy strategy. The long dimension of each apartment unit is stretched parallel to the corridors, taking advantage of natural light and views while minimizing the depth light is asked to penetrate the space.

Weave Housing - Eastern side of the building

• Architects: Meridian 105 Architecture
• Project Location: Denver, Colorado

The amenity deck for the building, with a pool shown in the foreground and it has views towards the rocky mountains.

Constructed of prefabricated, factory built parts, facade components will be shipped to the site and hoisted into place, facilitating greater precision and rapid construction time. High performance materials are proposed, including argon filled, insulated glazing units with low-e coatings and shading frit patterns, achieving high thermal values while maintaining facade transparency and light transmittance. Lightweight insulating concrete reduces cold bridging at cantilevered balconies and reduces overall building weight and foundation sizing.

Axonometric view of the project with two large masses shown at the ground level. The large mass in the background is the parking structure. The large mass in the foreground is retail or grocery. Each will have a green planted roof, easing the view for apartment units on that side of the building.

The agressive prefabrication strategy targets the building enclosure, minimizing construction duration and freeing money for investment in superior materials.

This image shows the concept behind the facade design. The facade was inspired by a children's potholder loom, with verticals and horizontals woven together to create the texture. The woven facade texture creates balconies, bay windows, and insets, with areas of natural shading created by these elements.

3-dimensional diagram showing the flexibility of unit sizes, a necessary requirement early in design. The modularity of the facade supports multiple apartment sizes and arrangements both horizontally and vertically, allowing the developer to do market research throughout the design phase, and change the unit mix late in the process without setting back the progress of the design team.

This diagram depicts the technology and materials of the assembly. There are only a few parts to the facade assembly, each prefabricated offsite and hoisted into place. Materials such as insulated concrete and argon filled windows are proposed to maximize the thermal performance of the shell.

Tags: Colorado, Denver

Category: Mixed use

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