"During the first meeting, the developer talked about how much he liked the contemporary houses of Southern California. Spacious villas with large glazing, full of light and with flat roofs..." - recalls initial conversations with the client, Bartlomiej Drabik, an architect from the Superhelix studio.
How did they manage to transfer these dreams to one of Krakow's plots? It wasn't easy - building conditions and terrain determined the final shape of the block. Instead of a sprawling, one-story villa reminiscent of American mansions, there was a three-story high block inspired by... a wuzetka cake! wuzetka cake!
monolithic block from the front
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Layers of sponge cake and cream, as the designer explains, were replaced with contrasting plaster and corten. That's not the end of the surprises, however. The sculpted white form adorning the facade unfolds deep into the plot, creating a dynamic, slightly pointed shape that marks the line of the terrace. Along with the depth of the plot, the building itself also expands, transforming from a closed, monolithic block on the entrance side into an open building on the garden side, glazed with nearly 6-meter high windows.
the house from the garden side
© Bartłomiej Drabik
The author of the project talks about the Californian inspirations, the technologies used and the unusual shape of the block
Ola Kloc: The project was supposed to transfer Californian inspirations to Poland, what solutions from this part of the United States have you managed to transfer to our land?
Bartłomiej Drabik: We managed to transfer large glazing and flat roofs. The latter was a particular dream of the investor, but it could be achieved only partially, due to the provisions of the development conditions it was necessary to design a gabled roof as well.
elevations of the building
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Ola: In the building you combined different construction technologies - what is the reason for such a decision?
Bartlomiej: The lower part of the building is made of traditional technology - this works well in our implementation realities. The attic was made in timber-frame construction primarily to increase the area of rooms in the interior.
first floor plan and cross-section
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Ola: On the one hand, the building has an unusually sculpted body, and on the other - it reaches for almost archetypal solutions of a house with a gabled roof, although also in a modern edition. What influenced this shape of the block?
Bartholomew: The main intention was to break up the rather tall block. The development conditions allowed development only in a small part of the plot. With a complex functional program, it was necessary to build upwards. This, however, did not match the investor's dream. Therefore, horizontal lines were emphasized and overhangs were created to optically break up the block. Further complication of the shape was not advisable, this would have been simply too much, so the gabled roof is already very simple, without eaves.
view from the garden
© Bartłomiej Drabik
Ola: Did you reach for any eco-friendly solutions in this realization?
Bartlomiej: The building is powered by a sizable number of photovoltaic panels, but there are no very complex unique solutions beyond today's standards.
Ola: What was the most difficult part of this project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Bartholomew: There were no particular difficulties here - the design was sheer pleasure. At the last meeting, the client told me that he enjoyed living in the house very much - that's always what I'm most happy about.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
