Latitude is a series of modular houses designed as an award-winning competition entry in “The Living Steel International Competition for Sustainable Housing.” The competition presented architects with the task of creating energy-efficient, affordable houses suitable to the climate conditions of northern Russia. The project responded to this challenge by demonstrating that sustainable design can not only reduce energy consumption, but also generate more diverse and interconnected natural, social, and economic networks.
With a system of prefabricated highly-engineered lightweight steel modular units, the design performs quadruple duty: as an energy-efficient building envelope, as an integrated structural system, as a room-defining element, and as a chassis for building services. Highly functional and flexible, this approach indeed allows latitude for a wide variety of configurations capable of adapting to the changing needs of an evolving family and an evolving society.
