The Kick Start housing system of the Delft, The Netherlands-based cepezed architects has been designed for maximum sustainability. The concept is founded on the use of lightweight and prefabricated components, an energy-conserving climate control and a high degree of flexibility. Kick Start is not the first steel housing project of the office. “Nearly all our projects in every field are realized in steel”, says project manager Joost Heijnis. “Over the years, we have also designed several award-winning steel houses. Steel is a wonderful material. It is lightweight but strong, it can easily be prefabricated and the detailing possibilities are very refined.”

Kick Start is basically an assembly system using prefabricated elements that are partly made of reused materials, while all components can easily be recycled. It is fit to respond to any type of situation or site and can take on a wide variety of configurations. “Standard units are over 50 m2”, says Heijnis, “but by linking the dwellings vertically and/or horizontally, Kick Start can suit a broad variety of budgets and needs.”

Due to their lightweight construction, Kick Start apartments quickly respond to the input or drainage of heat, enabling keeping the installations and energy costs to a minimum. Heijnis: “Heating requirements are largely covered by the bodily warmth of the users and household equipment such as televisions, computers and cooking apparatus. Ventilation is natural by means of façade sections that can be opened.” It is only for extreme situations that some extra facilities powered by solar panels or geothermical energy are integrated into the design. Due to the ample availability of daylight, the need for artificial lighting is minimal as well.

The accommodations are all detached from their direct neighbors and the system offers a lot of optional features. “There is also a complete range of finishing”, tells Heijnis. “The insulated sandwich façades for example, can be clad with a variety of decorative materials such as stone or wood. Owners can also add elements such as a balcony to their apartment at any convenient moment in time, while the zones between the dwellings can be used either privately or collectively.”

The modular design thus enables a multitude of possibilities. Also with regard to the interior. Heijnis said: “All sanitary functions are combined within a single prefabricated unit with a toilet, bathroom and a laundry room. This unit can be freely positioned in the floor plan, so the apartments can really be arranged according to one’s own preferences.”

cepezed's KickStart was the winning design for Poland in Living Steel’s 1st Competition for Sustainable Housing. According to the jury report, "The Jury was very impressed with this entry, highlighting particularly the simple floor plans, the robustness and the flexibility of the design. The use of double-loaded corridors and the flexibility of the layout to enable full advantage to be made of ventilation and daylight were also appreciated. The Jury also appreciated the scale of the proposed design, in particular, how the configuration of the building responds to its context."

Builders interested in this design can contact cepezed directly. Visit www.cepezed.nl for contact information.

Kick Start Development Slideshow
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