The new utility room

Project background

The new utility room: A small but important area has largely eluded the aesthetic and functional design efforts of modernism and is now an un-zone, defined simultaneously by elements of building services (heating, boiler, heat pump, inverter, fuse boxes, supply and waste water pipes) as well as by the hygiene efforts of the residents (washing machine, dryer, mangle, storage space for cleaning products and cleaning tools) and, lastly, additional storage needs (bicycles, parasols, surfboards, drinks crates, recycling waste sorting).

Project objective

In the project "The new utility room", the current situation was examined at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences in the winter semester of 2015/2016 as part of a research project commissioned by Schüller Möbelwerk KG, Herrieden, and new solutions were developed for five scenarios.

The scenarios take into account the respective architectural framework conditions with regard to the scope of the functions to be integrated and the optimizability of the associated processes. Scenario 1 (1 team) was a detached house with a utility room in the basement, scenario 2 (2 teams) a detached house with a utility room on the ground floor and scenario 3 (2 teams) a 4-room apartment without an actual utility room.

Project procedure

The project was divided into four phases, each lasting around 4 weeks: A research and conception, B preliminary design, C design and D presentation preparation with construction of prototypes on a scale of 1:1.

The project was accompanied by excursions to the client and frequent interim appointments with the client in Rosenheim. The project location was the "Design Research Laboratory" on the first floor of the G-Building at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences.

The project was carried out in partnership with students from the "Wood Technology and Construction" and "Interior Design" faculties at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences and offered opportunities for training in interdisciplinary collaboration, as required by the market.

Innovation

Different design approaches for the "new utility room", which includes elements of building services, equipment for textile cleaning and care, storage space for cleaning products and cleaning tools and, finally, storage space for various items of equipment such as bicycles, garden furniture, etc. in a space-saving and practical way.