A small house called HeXa House by the {tag:pracownie} studio was created with the idea of realization for an application. The architects wanted to create an object that is both versatile and original. They opted for a hexagonal body based on a hexagon and the possibility of personalizing the building.
The area of HeXa House does not exceed 35 square meters, so it can be built as an application realization. The year-round building consists of two levels. A first floor with a living room with a kitchenette and a bathroom, and a mezzanine with a bedroom, with the possibility of dividing it into two smaller ones. The bungalow is electrically heated with the possibility of using a free-standing goat-type fireplace as an additional heat source. The architects also designed a shed that forms a canopy for the above-ground terrace, and its upper part can be an additional above-ground terrace.
The architects focused on the possibility of personalizing the building
© Machoń Architekci
Dobrawa Bies: HeXa House is a small summer house with the possibility of various facade finishes. What were your assumptions and design inspirations?
Machoń Architekci: It may sound strange, but the project was to be both original and as universal as possible- by design alone this seems impossible.... We focused on the possibility of personalizing the object (which increases its universality, allows it to fit into the tastes of a larger group of clients), at the same time we tried to make the building completely different from what is built in Poland. The bungalow is not inspired by any particular example. The form of the building was taken from nature. In our environment there are quite a few elements based on the hexagon, for example: honeycomb, or crystallization of some chemical compounds (on a micro scale). Actually, after the spherical shape, the hexagon shape is the most common shape (geometric solid) in nature due to its optimality. Recently, more and more finishing materials are also designed on the basis of the hexagon: wall panels, ceramic tiles, etc.
The building's six walls allow framing of views
© Machoń Architekci
Dobrawa:The lump of HeXa House is unusual - it consists of six walls. Where did this decision come from?
MachońArchitects:The use of the hexagon for the creation of the building, as well as the hexagonal grid to define the spatial order in which these objects are located, seems something quite natural, but rare (in architecture). The objects interact with each other in a very attractive and legible way. Thanks to the fact that the building has as many as six walls, it is very easy to frame the view from the individual houses. This simple procedure allows the construction of multiple buildings in relatively close proximity, preserving the attractive layout of the mini-neighborhood, as well as providing privacy for users of the buildings. To add further variety to this composition, different finishing materials can be used for each bungalow.
HeXa Hosue covered with fiber cement shingles
© Machoń Architekci
Dobrawa: Please tell us about the design solutions and materials used.
MachońArchitekci: The building is developed in two versions of construction: traditional masonry technology with a reinforced concrete ceiling and a light frame version. The facade in both cases is in light dry technology: corten sheet panels , facade board or fiber cement shingles can be used as a ventilated exterior cladding. The use of an appropriate thickness of insulation allows the facility to be used all year round.
HeXa House can create a holiday resort
© Machoń Architekci
Dobrawa: The house was created with the idea of realization on application. Who can be its users?
MachońArchitekci: The project is suitable for notification, but we also developed it in full documentation (full industry) so that it can also be implemented based on a building permit. Many investors, especially those who build such houses for rent, choose this form of legalization of small structures. It seems to us that this is a project for demanding users. It can serve both as a summer facility for an individual for weekend getaways, and it can become part of a complex of such cottages in a vacation resort. Nowadays, more and more people investing with mini-estates of summer cottages for rent rely precisely on the innovation of the facilities. The attractive form of the facilities is conducive to building very good marketing around the investment. We can say in simple terms - nice houses rent more easily and at better prices, which is confirmed by a number of very interesting realizations in our country. This makes us very happy - especially the architect. Thanks to this, the landscape of Polish resorts, tourist towns begins to look better and better.
corten-covered version of the house
© Machoń Architekci
Dobrawa: Designing "catalog houses" is arguably different from individual projects such as single-family houses. Is it much more difficult? What are the limitations and what are the possibilities?
Machoń Architekci: The main problem is to maintain a certain originality, while matching a wide audience. Our studio has been dealing with finished projects for a relatively short time, only a few years. We try to find some golden mean between what we think will be good architecture and what a statistical client can expect. Certainly, our projects are not for everyone - this is something we came to terms with at the very beginning. We believe that not every plot of land is good to build a "type" on. Some properties require very intensive thought, the introduction of unusual solutions - they are, as we used to say "difficult plots". For such plots, however, an individual project will always be the best - this is what we specialize in. At some point we decided to gather our experience from individual projects and use the acquired knowledge to make ready-made projects. The ready-made project allows a certain standardization, saving time in the preparation of documentation. It is mostly developed in many visualizations, it is much cheaper - these advantages are clear. However, we believe that it will in no way be able to replace a well-drawn individual design.
Dobrawa: Thank you for the interview!
