Almost every house has a roof. The term "house with a roof" does not cause us any objections. Perplexity may be caused instead by "House with a roof". The building designed by Superhelix studios is an interesting solution with a roof.
"House behind the roof" is a building that consists of a unique structure. The green roof has a slope of forty degrees - which resulted from the Local Development Plan. The building itself was made of glulam construction.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Architect Bartlomiej Drabik of the Superhelix studio talks about how the idea for this project came about, what the technical problems were and how greenery was introduced into the project.
Wiktor Bochenek: Where did the idea for the "House behind the roof" come from?
Bartlomiej Drabik (Superhelix): The idea was to hide the house from the access road and the estate. The surrounding area has typical dense suburban housing. The roof shelters a private interior open to the southern part of the plot. It guarantees the privacy of its occupants, while at the same time it is not an unfriendly barrier for neighbors - from the side of the road they can simply see the green slope.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Victor: How was the roof solved technically?
Bartlomiej: The roof structure is quite simple and traditional - it's a wooden truss, insulated with mineral wool, and has full OSB sheathing. The roof covering is the GCL green roof system, which can be laid on slopes with steep gradients - in this case, as much as 45 degrees. It's a kind of lattice of plastic elements that support each other and prevent the substrate and vegetation from slipping.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Victor: Doesn't the greenery on it need tedious maintenance?
Bartlomiej: No tedious maintenance is necessary. The vegetation used is sedums, which perfectly accumulate water, and in addition, the roof faces north. Nevertheless, the investor decided to use additional irrigation. This solution "just in case" is very simple - a simple tube that passes water through small holes.
There is always a risk that something else will spread there, so unwanted vegetation should be removed from time to time, but this is not very problematic.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Victor: What were the advantages of using this roof?
Bartlomiej: First of all, we give back some of that green area we took to build the house. In this way, we increase the biologically active area of the whole project.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Wiktor: How was the body of the building constructed?
Bartlomiej: Technically, it is a fairly traditional model. Brick walls with reinforced concrete elements and a wooden roof truss.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartlomiej Drabik
Wiktor: How were the elevations solved?
Bartlomiej: The fac ade is on one side was made of aluminum sheet panels, and on the other side was made of Canadian cedar - wood that does not require special care, itself has natural protective agents, so it is not protected by anything.
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Victor: Does this building blend in more with its surroundings, or does it stand out?
Bartlomiej: I hope that on the north side it blends in with the surroundings and allows it to merge with the surrounding meadows. These will probably be developed in some time, but then the roof of the building will remain, at least a fragment of them. On the south side, the block is clearly outlined, but the natural materials used help it blend in with the surroundings.
"The house behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Victor: What are you most proud of, and what was the most difficult?
Bartlomiej: There were no great difficulties on my part here. It was certainly a challenge for the investor and the contractors. The truss itself, due to its shape and exposed elements, required a lot of accuracy. In terms of design, however, it was not a particularly difficult task. I'm happy if the investor is satisfied and is comfortable living there.
Victor: Thank you for the interview!
"House behind the roof"
© Bartłomiej Drabik
