Tomasz Bekas, a graduate of the University of Arts in Poznań, together with Jakub Wichtowski (a student at UAP), designed an artist residency that could be built in the Latvian region of Latgale. Their project Āderu Namas referring to ancient beliefs, the energy of nature and the archetype of fire received an honorable mention in the international Painters' Lake House competition organized by the Buildner platform.
The competition task was to develop a plot of land on Lake Cernostes in Latvia, where an old country house and accompanying barn are currently located. Due to the poor condition of the buildings, a concept was sought for facilities that could be built in their place. They were to serve two families of painters during a three-month residency, giving them a space to live and create derived from the local context and surrounding nature.
The artist residency and workshop was built on the site of an old cottage and barn
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
The organizers of the competition wanted the key space in the new building to be a painting studio—a versatile, open space offering plenty of natural light, with the possibility of separating into smaller, more private zones. The jury was looking for concepts that focus on sustainability and respect for the environment.
success for teams from Poland
You can read about the full jury and the results of the competition in the article Artistic Residency in Latvia. Project in the spirit of re-use regarding the honorable mention project of the Warsaw University of Technology student team composed of Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa.
Honorable mention was also given to the work Āderu Namas by Tomasz Bekas and Jakub Wichtowski, a student of the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznań.
artist residency project, axonometry
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
We tried to strongly relate to the local context, conducting a search in the local cultural heritage. We asked ourselves questions about what life in the area used to be like and how to take up the subject of replacing old buildings in a dignified yet unique way. How to make the place an element that stems from tradition, but also influences the creation of more traditions—through a source of inspiration for painting, the authors say.
Āderu Namas
The designers named their concept in Latvian Āderu1 Namas, which means House of Adder.
1 Āddere ir mītisks tīklojuma veida enerģijas strāvojums zemē. Ticība āderēm ir sastopama daudzās tautās, īpaši Latvija un Ziemeļeiropā. Āderu ekistence nav zinātniski pierādīta un tiek apšaubīta. (source: lv.wikipedia).
Translated, Adder is a mythical energy charge resembling an orthogonal grid resting beneath the earth's surface. Belief in Adder is found in many nations, especially in Latvia, but we can find traces of it throughout Northern Europe. The presence of Adder has not been scientifically proven and is now considered part of local tradition.
The interior of the common space is open to the lake
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
The greatest treasure of what came before us is tradition and local context. Objects that refer to the heritage and are able to use it become coherent pieces of the spatial puzzle. The deep belief in nature of the people who have lived in the area for generations can inspire many contemporary artists. In particular, cultural beliefs in invisible but discernible underground lines of energy affecting human functioning as an element of nature. All this, according to us, starts from a point, merges into lines, signs and then stories—leading to the creation of a work of art, the young architects explain.
art residency project, cross section
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
house connecting worlds
The authors proposed a house whose design is inspired by living in harmony with nature. It is characterized by an open form and flexibility of functioning, all in order to give a harmonious backdrop to the artists' life and creative process.
The house stimulates creative work in a space that is a connector of worlds—where the inside intermingles with the outside, and the elements of nature do not have their own separate boundary, complementing the spaces of architecture, the designers add.
The core of the building is formed by two chimneys that are the heart of the new residential function and a home-centric archetype.
Inspiration, the chimney as the heart of the house and the free flow of energy
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
The beginning of thinking about any building is to determine the intersection of fire lines and locate the chimney. The two chimneys we propose define the new living space and the common part between them. Meanwhile, according to the thought of beliefs of local communities, the layout of the house follows the free flow of energy in nature. It used to be that the water lines surrounding a building defined its outline. Water lines defined the exterior, fire defined the interior lines. By spreading out the volumes freely, we opened up the view of the nearby lake and shaped the common space in the courtyard, typical of rural construction, the authors explain.
facility in the spirit of low-tech
Referring to the existing context, the residential building was erected on the site of earlier structures, keeping the same outline. The authors incorporated eco-friendly solutions in the form of a traditional country house. By building an interior centered around massive chimneys, accumulating heat, in addition to thermal gain, they obtained characteristic rooms.
A fragment of a wall with wooden blinds
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
This treatment opened the building to the surroundings, freeing up the exterior walls and allowed thermal isolation of the chimneys. Low-tech in the form of manually operated wooden curtains appeals to tradition, while limiting advanced technologies allows greater integration with the environment and reduced energy consumption, the designers add.
Introducing only the most necessary technologies, such as recuperation and a heat pump that draws energy from water, combined with the aforementioned blinds, allows the building to maintain thermal comfort with little investment. Rainwater harvesting, proper orientation in terms of wind angle and compactness of the building make it possible to reduce later operating costs.
life centers around chimneys
© Tomasz Bekas, Jakub Wichtowski
zoning and... residential chimneys
The plan of the designed house is characterized by zoning and effective use of space, where the surroundings of the building become an extension of it. The authors designated a central common area and two private units. Each of the two living areas consists of a semi-private living room and kitchen space and a bedroom space located upstairs in the living chimney. It can be shaped into two separate bedrooms or a combined space, and the roof windows overlook the nearby lake.
On the other hand, the workshop located on the site of the old barn and its surroundings, form a single space, creating unlimited possibilities for arranging and dividing the space according to the needs and creative field. At the same time, they allow for enclosure and respite from inclement weather.
