The VM Houses project in Copenhagen consists of two apartment buildings shaped like the letters M and V with a total of 209 units between them. The buildings were designed by BIG and JDS to maximize daylight and views for residents through an emphasis on diagonal sightlines and a "skip-stop" corridor system inspired by Le Corbusier. A variety of apartment typologies ranging from single-floor plans to triplexes provide residents with individualized living spaces. Landscaping flows between and around the buildings to create a semi-private courtyard for community use.

1. VM house, Denmark C
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V I R T U A L

2. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
- About The Building
- Location
- Accessibility
• Site plan
• Concept
• Evolution of form
• Floor plans
• Sections
• Materials
• Landscaping
• References

3. INTRODUCTION
• VM Houses is a housing project consisting of two adjacent apartment buildings shaped
like “m” and “v” letter.
M House V HOUSE
 95 housing units
 36 different apartment
shape.
 Total area: 12,500 sqM.
 Completed: 2004
 114 housing units
 40 different apartment
shapes
 Total area: 12,500 sqM
 Completed: 2005
• most important aspects WAS development of diverse apartment typologies, ranging
from single-floor plans to triplexes.
• "We live in a world where individualism has a greater resonance than before.
Diversity is well accepted, even desired. People living in a housing project must
also have access to individuality “
- (Julien De Smedt, JDS)
Award
• VM Houses was the first major project to be designed by Julien De Smedt and Bjarke
Ingels, winning them the Forum AID Award for the best building in Scandinavia in 2006.

4. About the building
• project type : retail, residential
• CLIENT: høpfner a/s, danish
oil company
• ARCHITECTS: big + jds = plot
• construction : 2004–2005
• program: 209 apartments
• Built-up area: 25,000 sqm
Julian De Smedt and Bjarke Ingels VM House

5. Location: ørestads boulevard 55, 2300 københavn s copenhagen
SITE
DENMARK

6. Accessibility:
• Accessibility TO THE SITE
- This neighbourhood is connected to the city centre with a new subway
line which is accessed via a steel bridge that crosses the canal. -
- its near to amager faelled park.

7. SITE PLAN
SITE ENTRY

8. CONCEPT
• Inspired by Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation concept OF SKIP-STOP SYSTEM.
• two residential blocks, with footprints in the shape of the letters V and M, have been
designed with an emphasis on daylight, and views.
• Rather than looking over the neighboring building, all the apartments have diagonal
views of the surrounding landscape.
• Corridors are short, rather like bullet holes through the building.

9. TRADITIONAL BLOCK OPENING THE BLOCK AVOIDING VIS –A-VIS OPENING VIEWS
OWTWARDS
AVOIDING VIS-A-VIS OPENING MORE VIEWS SLOPING AND STEPPING
DOWN
OPTIMAL VIEWS
Evolution of form

10. IF PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT THEN WHY SHOULD ALL THE APARTMENTS ALIKE?
M Block Units V Block Units

11. PLAN OF DIFFERENT TYPOLOGIES – V HOUSE

12. PLAN OF DIFFERENT TYPOLOGIES – V HOUSE

13. FLOOR PLANS – V HOUSE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSING UNITS OF V HOUSE

14. FLOOR PLANS – V HOUSE

16. FLOOR PLAN – M HOUSE

18. SECTION OF M HOUSE
SECTION
SECTION OF V HOUSE

19. SECTION – M HOUSE
SECTION OF M HOUSE – SKIP STOP SYSTEM

20. materials
• large glass facades framed by fancy wood.
• Floors are made up of solid oak wood, and dark, hard wood have been used for the
balcony floors.
• Walls and ceilings appear with a somewhat raw finish in white concrete, and all internal
stairs and handrails come in white painted steel.
• All the apartment’s external walls are made up of glass

21. LANDSCAPING
• The V-house is lifted to create a permeable block with a semi-private
public court for the residences.
• The pedestrian landscaping flows from the street, under the V-house
and into the courtyard forming a spatial unity and sense of community
between the two buildings.
• The courtyard also accommodates a play area for the kindergarten in
the base of the M-house, along with an interactive learning area
beneath the V-house.

22. LANDSCAPING

23. INFERENCES
• it is good idea to implement different typologies of apartments.
• to obtain maximum views, and to avoid vis-à-vis, part of block can
pushed or pulled.
• not only terrace can act as communication place, but also balconies
by arranging alternatively.

24. REFERENCES
• http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/VM_House
• http://www.arqred.mx/blog/2008/09/18/vm-houses/
• http://laurenfolkerts.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/bigs-vm-house/
• http://www.arcspace.com/features/plot/vm-houses/
• http://leesanstudio.blogspot.in/2010/10/precedent-research-vm-
houses.html
• http://www.world-architects.com/en/big/projects-3/vm houses
plot big jds-144
• http://www.archinnovations.com/featured-projects/housing/big-vm-houses/