Award-winning architecture firm utilizes BIM for building an eco-friendly egg farm Chickenville

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 17:33:00 +0530

Chickenville

Chickenville, located in Zagreb, Croatia, SKROZ is an award-winning architectural office engaged in the research and creation of space. The firm has used Archicad intensively for the past three years. Before migrating their practice to BIM, they used mainly AutoCAD. Since incorporating Archicad in their everyday practice, all projects have been completed using the software, from design sketches to construction plans.

One of the principals in the office has been highly engaged with Archicad since version 4.55, and introduced the firm to a wide range of its benefits. In recent years, transition to BIM in general became necessary, in which Archicad was an obvious choice for our office to evolve,
explains Marin Jelčić, one of the founding partners of the company.

CHICKENVILLE Project

CHICKENVILLE was a project for one of their long-term clients in the village of Rakov potok near Samobor, Croatia, for whom they have completed many projects. A small kindergarten was one of those ventures. While speaking with the children, the client discovered that, despite living in a rural area, the majority of them have no idea where eggs come from. As a result, the client agreed to construct an organic egg farm where children could observe the entire process, from egg nesting to hens laying fresh eggs. It had to be a modern farm that was simple to create with friends and family using locally sourced raw materials and met the highest eco-farming standards. It is one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions, with children from a variety of kindergartens being supervised by professionals from the faculty of agriculture.
The plan was to build a multi-functional space/project that could double as an egg farm and a tourist attraction. That was the initial thought: this would be a small “village,” a settlement with all of the essential features including lodging, utilities, plazas, sidewalks, and public buildings. A “public” street was built in the centre to give tourists entry. This is a shared central area that visually connects the chicken coops while not interfering with the basic purpose of egg farming. The chicken coops surround the central zone of Chickenville, which allows visitors and farmers access (feeding, care, and cleaning).

A “public” street was built in the centre to give tourists entry. This is a shared central area that visually connects the chicken coops while not interfering with the basic purpose of egg farming. The chicken coops surround the central zone of Chickenville, which allows visitors and farmers access (feeding, care, and cleaning). The materials used are typical of farm buildings in the region (unfinished fir, chicken wire). Much of the work was performed by inexperienced metal workers, the investor’s neighbours, and relatives due to the small budget.
The aim was to build a modern design using traditional materials while maintaining the look and charm of a traditional chicken coop. Since this is also a tourist project, additional work was required to direct the tourists. Chickenville’s visual identity was created as a result, and it now has its own coat of arms, flag, plazas, and even street numbers.
From start to finish, the project took just four months. Since the project’s budget was small, fast decisions were required. The architects used Archicad to estimate and optimise the construction costs of a single repeated unit, keeping in mind that every unit cost reduction is multiplied by 20 in the total project cost.
“There was no special modelling challenge worth noting because the model is very simple,” Mr Jeli explained. “However, we did model it to the smallest detail so there were no surprises or misunderstandings at the construction site.”

DIMENSION PLUS - Blog #egg farm

Award-winning architecture firm utilizes BIM for building an eco-friendly egg farm Chickenville

Chickenville

Chickenville

CHICKENVILLE Project

How to Use the Spline Tool

Create Box Window in Archicad

BIM Management with Solibri Home Panel