Architecture students of Poznan University of Technology: Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska and Michalina Linkowska won as many as two awards in the international competition "MICROHOME 2021 - Small living, huge impact!" organized by Bee Breeders. Their project "Circadian Home", a mobile microdome that adapts to changing natural light conditions, received the first prize and the BB Student Award!
MICROHOME 2021 is the third edition of the annual architecture competition, organized by Bee Breeders Competition in cooperation with Archive Books, as part of the "Architecture of Small Scale" series. This competition series aims to emphasize that "bigger is not always better." In this way, the organizers hope to change the perceptions of the current and future generation of designers about housing. MICROHOME also emphasizes the importance that small-scale architecture can have in the face of the housing, economic and climate crisis.
Circadian Home project won two awards
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
microdome the answer to the housing crisis?
The main objective of the MICROHOME 2021 - Small living, huge impact! competition was to design a house of no more than 25 square meters, designed for two working people. The location of the building was not specified. One of the requirements was the self-sufficiency of the building. The house was to be constructed in a modular design in the sustainable architecture trend and include a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, work and rest space, as well as storage space.
Circadian Home can be placed in any location
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
double victory of polish students
The entries submitted to the international competition were judged by a jury consisting of Brian Gaudio(Module Housing), Anne Cecilie Haug ( Snøhetta), Thomas Heyer (Cover Technologies), Sheri Koones (writer), Francesca Perani (Francesca Perani Enterprise, RebelArchitette), Carlo Ratti (MIT SENSEable City Lab, Carlo Ratti Associati ) and Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects).
The Circadian Home project by a team of Poznan University of Technology students consisting of: Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska was appreciated and received as many as two awards: first prize and the BB Student Award! The competition entry was made under the direction of Dr. Marcin Konicki, and Ewa Angoneze-Grela was responsible for the graphic consultation of the board.
Circadian Home is a proposal for a flexible building that adapts to changing natural light conditions in any location. According to the jury, the design is beautiful and well rendered. Despite the complexity of implementation, it is engaging; in fact, it allows to fulfill an important aspect - it gives privacy to each resident despite the small living space. The project is forward-looking and, above all, buildable, the jury's opinion reads.
The building consists of three modules and a revolving mechanism
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
house following the sun
The imposed guidelines created many constraints. We started the design by analyzing the common life of two people. In this way, a design path was forged, according to which we followed during the further creative process. We noticed that for a couple of people both time spent together and time spent alone are important. Taking into account the space limit, we respectfully approached a person's individual work, not forgetting their leisure time," the authors say.
The students, inspired by research conducted by professors Jeffrey Connor Hall, Michael Morris Rosbash and Michael Warren Young on the discovery of the molecular mechanism of the circadian biological clock (Nobel Prize in 2017), created an object that follows the sun. The building's form adapts to the time of day, making maximum use of the sun's rays and their beneficial effects on human health.
building form adapts to the time of day
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
Circadian Home
We tried to combine human physiology with architecture, forming the solid in such a way that it follows the sun and regulates the processes that occur in circadian rhythms. Our body determines the time of day, based on information about the color and position of the sun. During sunrise, the installed razor blades open, naturally waking up the residents. At the same time, the body of the building situates itself to the east. On the other hand, during sunset, the glazing opens the solid to the west, which offsets the adverse effects of using blue light in the evening, emitted by screens of electronic devices. Located in the eyeball, the receptors responsible for receiving light information are located in the lower part of the eyeball, thus most effectively receiving the sun's rays, which always reach us from above the horizon. It is observed that light coming from below interferes less with the secretion of melatonin - the hormone responsible for regulating the diurnal rhythm. So after sunset we used linear lighting located near the floor. At night, the lump closes completely, cutting off any light, to ensure the best conditions for melatonin secretion and, consequently, effective sleep, the students explain.
The authors tried to adapt the design to the human diurnal rhythm
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
together or separately?
The second design aspect, besides the circadian cycle, was the residence of two people in a relatively small space. Looking for a solution that would allow the couple to decide whether they wanted to spend time together or separately, the young architects decided to take advantage of the mobility used in the building.
The building consists of three modules. The main core is designed on a circular plan and serves as a shared living room and, interchangeably, a bedroom at night. This section also allocates space for a bathroom and kitchen. The other two modules, which are wings of the body, are defined as individual work and rest areas. Thanks to the mobility of the modules, they can be combined into one large space. Residents can pursue their passions and professional lives without disturbing each other. Three configurations of the block are possible, depending on the current needs of the occupants.
three configurations of the block are possible
© Wiktoria Ciszak, Karolina Kozłowska, Michalina Linkowska
self-sufficient microdome
The mechanism that rotates the constituent parts of the solid has been placed in the base of the building; the authors have also set aside additional storage space here. The proposed microdome is self-sufficient, allowing it to be located anywhere in the world without depending on constant access to electricity and water. The roof is adapted to collect rainwater, which is then filtered and stored or used for current needs.Movable photovoltaic panels are mounted on the aforementioned wings. Once the lump of the building is fully enclosed, it is possible to transport it.
The whole body is designed with respect for nature and the environment, while responding to the needs of users. Working on this project allowed us to pay attention to the huge impact of sunlight and the environment on the comfort of residents," pdsummarize Wiktoria, Karolina and Michalina.
Read also about the projects of Warsaw University of Technology students who competed in the second edition of the MICROHOME competition: the distinguished Modular House Unit concept by Zuzanna Słabik and the Healthy Great Plate project by Agata Kobus, Natalia Kulesza, Filip Starzomski and Joanna Ziembowska.
