Not much was missed, and this house would never have been built. The story of the construction of House K, one of the first buildings designed by STOPROCENT Architects, almost ended in failure. The project was finally completed after nine years.
perturbations
House K was one of the first projects by the STOPROCENT Architects studio. Work on it began in 2012, and was not completed until 2021. The original concept assumed that the building would be part of a larger establishment, the headquarters of a multigenerational family. In the meantime, the investor decided to move his house to another plot of land. The problems stemmed primarily from the contractor's incompetence, which led to a complete halt to the work and a lengthy court hearing. Over the years, the building deteriorated and grew overgrown with greenery. Eventually, the K House managed to be completed.
body of the house with a patio
© photo by Piotr Krajewski, © STOPROCENT Architects
body
The building was divided based on the breakdown into three, different solids. All parts were connected by glazed patios, allowing plenty of light to enter the interiors. On the street side, there is a technical part with a garage, and a living area with a kitchen, dining room and living room. The investors were most concerned with a sense of intimacy, which is why the street-side elevation has a limited number of windows.
The interior part was solved differently, practically fully glazed, revealing a view of the inner garden and terraces. Corridors and technical rooms have been illuminated by roof windows. The K House was designed from the beginning as a single-story building. The exterior massing was conceived as a combination of white plaster walls alternating with vertical wood cladding.
bathroom
© photo by Piotr Krajewski, © STOPROCENT Architects
Przemysław Kaczkowski, one of the authors of House K, talks about the history of the house's creation, the design and the most important elements of the house.
Wiktor Bochenek: Why did the work on this project take so long?
Przemysław Kaczkowski: It was a combination of unfortunate coincidences. House K was one of the first projects our studio did. Construction was quickly undertaken, unfortunately by a contractor who was not properly competent. There were problems with the window joinery. At first there were attempts at corrective measures. Eventually, construction was halted and there was a process that took several years. Only after the removal of the defective elements was it possible to return to design and construction. It took about a year just to complete the work and finish the interior.
During those nine years, the context and environment changed. When we started drawing, there was almost nothing there; a meadow, trees and shrubs, over time a dense enough development was created.
lump from the outside
© photo by Piotr Krajewski, © STOPROCENT Architects
Wiktor Bochenek: How did the surroundings influence the project?
Przemysław Kaczkowski: From the beginning, we assumed that the building would be strongly integrated with the surroundings. That's where a series of small interior patios came from, going deep into the building's tract to introduce natural greenery into the interiors.
In the first assumption, the development was to be located in a different place, as a separate entity of several connected houses with a common architectural character. In the meantime, the investor found another, more attractive plot of land overlooking the valley of a local river. After some modifications, it was possible to adapt the project to the new location. And this is probably even better.
wooden detail
© photo by Piotr Krajewski, © STOPROCENT Architects
Wiktor Bochenek: What was most important for the investor?
Przemysław Kaczkowski: The investors wanted this house to be modest on the one hand and to create an intimate space, and on the other hand, to give a sense of living in greenery, of integration with nature. Therefore, all view openings had to be well thought out so as to let light and greenery into the interiors, but not to disturb the sense of intimacy of the residents. It was also important that the house be friendly to all users. By this I mean not only human users. The group of residents also includes two cats and a playful dog. It was with them in mind, for example, that this narrow window on the front of the building was created.
Wiktor Bochenek: Thank you for the interview!
