1. Introduction

The aim of the competition is to advance the use of steel in sustainable housing through the identification and application of best practices and innovative approaches. For each location in the competition, the intention is for the winning design to be built. The following section sets out the detailed building requirements for the Polish project.

2. Location 2: Poland

Summary of the building brief for India:

2.1 Building Type

The indicative requirements of the proposed building are set out below. These requirements should not constrain the innovation of entrants. In developing their entries in accordance with these requirements, entrants are reminded of the Adjudication Criteria set out in Article XIV.

The building is to be a five-storey apartment building comprising 20 apartment units. Each apartment shall have a net useable floor area ranging between 60 and 80 m2. All floors are to be serviced by lifts. The floor arrangement should allow for the maximum degree of flexibility, in terms of apartment floor area and configuration, both horizontally and vertically within the building. Ground floor accommodation shall comprise:

• Enclosed car parking space for a minimum of 20 cars
• Community hall/room
• Reception/guard room
• Mechanical and electrical plant
• Staircase
• Lift core
• Common storage area(s).

Floors one to four shall each comprise five apartment units with 2.8 m clear floor to ceiling height, each providing the following accommodation:

• Living room
• 1-2 bedrooms
• Kitchen
• One bathrooms and separate WC
• One balcony/loggia

2.2 Building Location

The building is to be built in Warsaw, Poland at a latitude of 52° North. The figures below give the location of Poland and Warsaw.

Poland has an area of 312,685 km2 making it the ninth biggest country in Europe. Poland has a population of around 39 million.

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and is located in the eastern, central region of Poland. It is the largest city in Poland with a population of around 1.75 million and is also the capital of Mazowieckie Province.

2.2.1 Site Description

Topography
The topography of Warsaw is generally flat and therefore no topographical constraints on the designs should be assumed.

Ground conditions
Assume good ground conditions for the purpose of the design of the building. The geotechnical properties within the Warsaw region are likely to mean that piled foundations are not required for the proposed building. The groundwater table is approximately 3 m below existing ground level.

Utilities
Assume that all utilities (electricity, gas, water, sewerage and telephone) are available at the site.

2.2.2 Photographs

The following images show some of the typical residential apartment buildings in Warsaw. These images are presented to give entrants the context for the design Brief rather than indicate any preferred building type or appearance.

2.2.3 Climate

Warsaw enjoys a temperate climate. During the summer months, June to September, temperatures are mild or warm. Occasionally summer days are hot and humid. Average maximum temperatures in July are 24°C. Winters are cold and snow is common. Winter temperatures are on average -7 to -1°C although the temperature can drop to -20°C.

Average annual precipitation in Poland is 600 mm. On average, precipitation in summer is twice that in winter.

The prevailing wind direction is from the West.

Hours of daylight vary between 17 hours in mid-summer and 7.5 hours in mid-winter.

2.3 Building user profiles

The proposed building is targeted at young professional couples and small families of 3/4 persons, from the middle, socio-economic classes, who are well educated and with higher than average income. Many couples will both work and therefore some of the apartments will be vacant during normal working hours. For small families it is likely that the mother will stay in the apartment during the day to look after the children.

2.4 Other design issues

Warsaw is in a region of very low seismic risk and need therefore not be considered in the design.

The building will be built in an area of low risk of flooding and therefore this issue need not be considered in the design.

It is likely that the building will require a mixed mode of ventilation, i.e. via mixture of natural and mechanical means, however the goal should be to minimise mechanical ventilation.

All forms of innovation to make the building more sustainable should be considered in the design. This could include rainwater harvesting, solar heating, ground heat pumps, etc.

The building should be designed to meet the relevant Polish Building Standards. Particular attention should be paid to meeting the acoustic, thermal performance and fire engineering standards.

For further information on all the Polish Building Standards visit http://www.sejm.gov.pl/