Aatrial House by KWK Promes Architects, Poland

August 26, 2009 Category: House, Residential

The Aatrial House is modern house in Opole, Poland that was designed by KWK Promes Architects. The house is situated in Poland, close to Opole. Majority of low density settlement in the surroundings is formed of “cube – houses”, buildings typical for the 1970’s. Site near the forest, where the building is designed has one drawback: south-western access. In order to avoid the functional collision of the driveway and the garden, the driveway was ‘pushed’ into the ground. This prompted the idea of a driveway leading inside to the the ground floor level, from underneath the building, which became possible thanks to the creation of an inner atrium with the driveway in it. This in turn has made it possible to obtain a new type of house, which is the reverse of an atrial building. The Aatrial House is closed to the inside and open to the surroundings.

As a result, the building opens up onto all sides with its terraces in an unrestricted manner, and the only way to get into the garden is through the atrium and the house. This in turn has made it possible to obtain a new spatial model of the house, which is the reverse of an atrial building. The aatrial house is closed to the inside and opened to the surroundings.

The gateway is situated in the highest point of the site sloping to the east side. The 10 metres wide driveway following slope’s declivity, was additionally lowered underneath the ground level, while the garden was partly raised above this level. As a result, the garden is separated from the driveway and the surroundings with a 2.5m high retaining wall. The building was situated on the garden level. For the sake of neighboring buildings, typical polish “cube – houses” arisen it 1970’s, the structure of the house results from various transformations of a cube.

As a result of stretching and bending particular surfaces of the cube, all the walls, floors and ceilings were defined, together with inner aatrium and terraces. This principle of formation has not only created the structure of the house, but also defined interior and exterior architecture, including use of materials. The building is a reinforced concrete monolith, and concrete is at the same time the finishing material of the transformed cube, while all additional elements are finished with dark ebony. The driveway and retaining walls were made out of quarried granite blocks, the material characteristic for the surroundings.

Site near the forest, where the building is designed has one drawback: south-western access. In order to avoid the functional collision of the driveway and the garden, the driveway was ‘pushed’ into the ground. This prompted the idea of a driveway leading inside to the the ground floor level, from underneath the building, which became possible thanks to the creation of an inner atrium with the driveway in it. This in turn has made it possible to obtain a new type of house, which is the reverse of an atrial building. The Aatrial House is closed to the inside and open to the surroundings.

Aatrial House by KWK Promes Architects in Poland