Warsaw University of Technology architecture students Adam Górka and Lukasz Rossa, together with Joanna Barbachowska (a WAPW graduate), have designed an artist's residence that could be built in the Latvian region of Latgale. Their design of a house and a painting studio, made in the spirit of re-use , received an honorable mention in the international competition Painters' Lake House.
The main task of the competition, organized by the Buildner platform, was to design a residence for painters—a house and studio located on the shores of Lake Cernostes in Latgale, one of Latvia's greenest regions. The owners of the plot want to convert or replace the current wooden building (a former linseed oil mill) into a temporary home and studio for the painters. The new residential building would be for the two artists and their families, during a three-month residency. After that time, another artist would move in to take their place.
The concept consists of two buildings: a house and a craftsmen's studio
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
The organizers of the competition wanted the key space in the new building to be the painter 's studio—a versatile, open space offering plenty of natural light, with the possibility to separate into smaller, more private zones. It was important to maintain a balance between public and private areas, so that two families could comfortably reside in the facility. The jury was looking for concepts that focus on sustainability and respect for the environment—in keeping with Latvia's image as one of the greenest countries in Europe.
The house is located near Lake Cernostes
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Lukasz Rossa
project from Poland awarded a distinction!
The submitted works were evaluated by an international jury specializing in sustainable architecture, consisting of: Sam Brown (O'Donnell Brown, Scotland), Marta Frazão, Filipe Rodrigues and Inês Vicente (Atelier Data, Portugal), Benedikt Hartl (Opposite Office) Marco Lavit (Atelier LAVIT, France), Marta Maccaglia (Asociación Semillas, Peru), Francesca Perani (Francesca Perani Enterprise, Italy), Tom Schroeder (Patkau Architects, Canada). First Prize went to the Trio for Duo project by a team from Germany consisting of Shilan Yu, Guisong Zhang, Moye Guo. Second Prize went to Cristina Popescu of the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism from Romania for her Picturesque project. Third Prize went to a team from Turkey consisting of Kaan Oncuoglu, Ekin Guzer, Sevin Erkenek, Orcun Cinar. The Buildner Student Award and Buildner Sustainability Award went to Hao Wen from Australia. The jury also awarded six honorable mentions, among which was the Painters' Lake House project by Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Gorka and Lukasz Rossa of Warsaw University of Technology.
artist residency project, north elevation
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
reference to Latvian architecture
Our design of the painter's house is based primarily on the native architecture of the eastern part of Latvia—Latgale. Analysis of the functional layouts of old huts shows that the most important element of the house was the tiled stove, around which all household functions were centered. We used this idea as a starting point for the final concept, the authors say.
The interiors are kept in natural colors
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
On the competition plot, the young architects proposed two separate buildings—a house for two families and a craftsman's studio, where they placed a painting studio and a small carpentry workshop. In both buildings, as in traditional construction, the stove was placed in the center, concentrating all functions around it.
The interiors are centered around the stone stove
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
windows like a living painting
The house was designed with a wooden structure and is topped with a squat, gabled roof. The authors decided to design the windows in such a way that they give the impression of a living painting. Each window presents a unique frame on the landscape of the nearby lake.
The large windows act as a living painting—the interior of the painting studio
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
It is worth noting that the architects tried to use as much as possible of the materials found on the plot, including facade boards from the old building, and used stones from the foundation to build a stove. The roof featured reeds growing near Lake Cernostes.
axonometry of the structure, cross-section of the façade and division into layers
© Joanna Barbachowska, Adam Górka, Łukasz Rossa
We wanted the designed building to fit into the existing natural landscape and be a modern expression of Latvian architecture, the designers conclude.
Read also about the design of a complex of rest houses in the Latvian town of Skrunda by a team of Warsaw University of Technology students consisting of Aleksandra Adamska, Zofia Gancarczyk, Klaudia Kochanowska, Aleksandra Musiał.
