How has the perception of home changed over the past 10 years? Does it mean the same thing to us as it did to the older generation, for example? Do they also design "forever homes" today, or rather with the perspective of moving after a few years? Architect Marcin Tomaszewski decided to share his insights on the occasion of the 10th birthday of REFORM Architekt.
The last ten years have been strongly marked in architecture, especially in residential architecture. This is an area extremely susceptible to trends and changing tastes. Economic, but also social changes have affected how we design today. Architects are becoming bolder because clients are allowing more. What does this result from? From a change in the approach to the house as a solid. From a change in treating the house as a place with which we will be connected for many years. However, the development of technology and the unlimited creativity of architects in the process are also important influences.
Home is a modern sculpture
Gone are the days of catalog interiors and houses. Customers like to emphasize their individualism in this field as well. An unusual plot of land can be one of the steps confirming this approach - on a hill, in the shape of a triangle, or narrow and long. Catalog houses will not meet the investor's expectations here. On the other hand, house design today requires a change in the approach to the process. An architect should have an open mind, catch what is going on around him and draw inspiration. This way he is able to create a house that resembles a sculpture. Architect Marcin Tomaszewski stresses that in his projects, reference to art is key, but it often stems from the client's expectations. One example is a house inspired by the professional life of the future owners.
whether ten years ago anyone had heard of "mirror houses"
© REFORM Architect
In cooperation with the client, first of all, his approach to the architect and the work has changed. Very often it is a process that starts not only with determining basic needs like the number of bedrooms or the size of the kitchen, but also the passions or inspirations of the residents," says architect Marcin Tomaszewski.
Home is about functionality and technology
Technology today allows for almost any project. Regardless of its size or the land on which it is to be located. Even ten years ago we were limited by technical issues, today we are faced with solutions that allow us, for example, to drive the house into the ground, so we get an interesting effect of the house creating cohesion with the surroundings.
Modern technology also allows us to implement projects that look as if they "levitate" in some part of them. This gives lightness to the mass. Going a step further, ten years ago had anyone heard of "mirror houses"? Today it's a trend started by {tag:Studio}. Again, we can't talk about templateness, because each of these houses can be different - it all depends on which part is used in this technology. This gives unlimited design possibilities. Thanks to this, the house very often gives the impression, for example, that it is divided into two separate parts or does not have a floor.
Home is unlimited creativity
The client's approach, his openness and the modern technological solutions available give us the opportunity to realize projects that only a decade ago could only be on sheets of paper.
This house was first created in my dream and it had to do with one of the songs of the band U2
© REFORM Architect
During these ten years of REFORM Architekt's existence, we have completed hundreds of house projects, each of which differed from each other. With each year our clients were much bolder, giving us more room for improvement. And we as architects had no limits. Whatever we dreamed or dreamed, we could realize. This was the case, for example, with one of our projects RE: JOSHUA TREE HOUSE. This house was first created in my dream and it had to do with one of the songs by the band U2. After waking up, I immediately did a design for the client and it was a hit," says architect Marcin Tomaszewski.
Something else has changed. Europe is more open to Polish architects, more and more often they want to show their projects, and more and more often they are appreciated by international juries in various competitions. Tomaszewski himself and his team have won several extremely important industry titles, including the European Property Awards Architecture, and the Iconic Award. These ten years in Polish architecture have given a certain iconicity to the period, but above all they have highlighted social changes, where individualization and personalization have taken on a whole new meaning.
