Cube 180 house

The CUBE180 house is a development of the CUBE70 project — one of the winners of the architectural competition for a house up to 70 sq. m., organized by the General Office of Construction Supervision.

Cube 180

Compared to the competition design, CUBE 180 has been enlarged so that it could comfortably house a family with three children — it now has as much as 180 m² of floor space. The house is adapted to be made of prefabricated concrete elements.

Cube 180

In the designed building we plan to use such solutions as:

photovoltaic panels
- The panels are to be placed on the roof in several rows, on racks at the optimal pitch and facing south (if possible). When optimally positioned, they should provide 100% of the necessary electricity.

Mechanical ventilation (heating with cooling function) with recuperation
- The control panel is located in the technical room on the ground floor,

air-to-water heat pump with underfloor heating,
coupled with a ground heat exchanger laid during the construction of the house under the foundation slab.
An underground rainwater retention tank.

The system should ensure recovery of at least 60% of rainwater for later use in flushing toilets and watering the plot.

The house is to be as environmentally friendly and self-sufficient as possible, so as to significantly reduce energy and water consumption.

Cube 180

ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS

Despite the simple form, we wanted the building to look modern. The distinctive design theme is the square. The shape of the main body of the building itself is square in plan, all the window openings in the building are square or connected squares forming longitudinal horizontal or vertical windows, the sliding doors are square and so are the elements of the plot development, such as the paving slabs, the terrace on the garden side, the double parking space and the elements of the outer fence and even the solid waste shed next to the fence. Three main contrasting colors were used here — white and anthracite plaster and warm brown wood.

Cube 180

On the one hand, the designers tried to reduce the size of the windows and their number to minimize heat loss, on the other — for functional reasons — each room has a large sliding portfenetr window and its own balcony exit. The largest double door from the living room to the terrace has total dimensions of 5.08×2.42m. The sliding living room door on the south side is located under the balcony cover, which shields it from the sun in the summer and winter, when the sun is lower, it allows for increased solar heating of the interior. The remaining windows are smaller and located only where we deemed it necessary to minimize heat loss from the building. The windows on the first floor have the installation of concealed external blinds that allow additional regulation of solar penetration as needed.

Cube 180

Through the simple, practically cubic form of the building, referring to the typical Polish cube, we wanted the building to be an object of modern and interesting architecture, and through its minimalism to fit well into the diverse architectural and urban environment in which it will be built. In line with our experience, we also assumed that the average user would want the house to include an enclosed garage with direct access to the house.

An important element for us was to provide future users with the opportunity to build a house quickly, without excessive financial outlays, which is made possible by the simple, uncomplicated and thus definitely cheaper architectural shape of the building, as well as the possibility to build prefabricated houses quickly. We also wanted to provide users with the opportunity to take advantage of environmentally friendly solutions, including a heat pump with photovoltaic installation and ventilation with heat recovery. This is intended to allow the creation of a house that is nature-friendly and much cheaper in daily use.

Cube 180

FUNCTIONAL AND UTILITY SOLUTIONS

The building has been designed with a clear upstairs-downstairs functional division: into an open ground floor — a public area and a private area on the first floor, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was decided to have an internal single-car garage with additional space for a small workshop or a place to store bicycles or strollers. All this so that the building can meet absolutely all the needs of a family of four and in the future even a family of five.

Cube 180

The entrance to the building is located on the north side and is sheltered from the weather by a balcony panel. Upon entering the house, we find ourselves in a lockable vestibule with access to a spacious dressing room for outer garments. This is followed by a hallway from which we have access to all ground floor features and stairs to the first floor. Access to the technical/laundry room has been provided, while access to the room/office does not force us to go through the living/semi-private area. There is also a bathroom with a shower, partially hidden under the higher stair run to maximize use of the available space.

The main space on the ground floor is a very large open living area with a living room, fireplace, dining room and with an open kitchenette (with the possibility of separating it), with a large island that can serve as a bar or a place to have a quick meal. A fold-out dining table will comfortably seat 8 and up to 10 people. The living room has space for a 5-seater sofa and additional armchairs. On the walls, you can make a place for bookshelves, paintings or a TV set.

Cube 180

The living area has large sliding doors, allowing to open it almost freely to the large terrace and garden. Functionally, this allows the indoor and outdoor zones to be connected, enlarging the area for relaxation for the whole family.

The floors are connected by a comfortable double staircase reaching the upper hallway providing access to all rooms — four bedrooms and a bathroom. There is also space for a technical roof hatch.

Three children's bedrooms, with areas of about 13m2, have large full-height glass doors that bring light to the interiors and lead to outdoor balconies. Between them is a „children's” bathroom with a toilet, shower and bathtub. The parents' bedroom (also 13m2) additionally has its own large bathroom with two sinks, a toilet bowl and a large bathtub. As in the other bedrooms — there are large sliding glass doors with access to the balcony. The hallway also has space for a large walk-in closet.

Cube 180

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS

The load-bearing system of the building consists of prefabricated reinforced concrete exterior and interior load-bearing walls with a structural thickness of only 12 cm, with thermal insulation of 15 cm, allowing to meet the latest requirements of the Technical Conditions.

The facades are covered with thin-coat mineral plaster in white or light gray. In the balcony areas they are covered with wood cladding and anthracite-colored plaster. In order not to interfere with the minimalist perception of the building, all-glass balustrades made of structural safety glass for the full height of 110 cm, with fastenings concealed from underneath and delicate steel handrails were proposed.

Woodwork in wood and anthracite colors. Fix and tilt-and-turn windows. Tilt-and-slide balcony doors, sliding or smart-slide terrace doors.

Partition walls of reinforced concrete, 10 cm thick, or of silicate.

Ceilings — monolithic reinforced concrete, 15 cm thick.

Internal stairs — reinforced concrete, prefabricated. The building is founded on a reinforced concrete foundation slab, which allows it to be erected also in places with worse soil conditions.