Thesingle-family house in the type of "modern barn" in Aleksandrów Łódzki, designed by Agnieszka and Piotr Podsadny of ap2 architekci studio, was created as a combination of the context of interesting surroundings and the everyday needs of a couple of young investors with two children. From the beginning, the architects knew that it was extremely important for them to have ongoing contact with their children, so all the day rooms of the house were designed around an outdoor terrace, which is intended to be the center of the house's life.
The plot on which the building was designed, combined with a ground-floor part covered with a flat roof, is located in the vicinity of a beautiful forest environment. The house was created on the basis of a rather disjointed functional and spatial plan as a result of a series of conversations with the investors about their expectations and on the basis of a site visit. The designers decided that due to the interesting surroundings of the plot on the west side, the composition of the house would be centered around an outdoor terrace, located in the central part of the plot, and having a view of the greenery located to the west.
General view of the house in Aleksandrów Łódzki
© ap2 Architects
open layout and glazing
The entrance to the plot was designed from the northern side, where a perpendicularly located garage and the main entrance to the building were foreseen. The southern part of the plot was separated from the street by a transversely located block covered with a gable roof. Here, a living room and a kitchen were proposed, which, at the investor's request, were designed as open, spacious and high rooms, with a partially glazed gable inviting greenery from the west into the living area. The southern part of the living room is designed with a dining room, an exit to the aforementioned terrace and a passage to the private part of the house. The private part is opened by a children's playroom, also directly adjacent to the terrace. Thanks to this arrangement, an almost semi-atrial layout was obtained, flanking the garden part from three sides, but at the same time giving a very good visual contact between the living part of the house and the children's playroom.
View from the terrace side of the house in Aleksandrów Łódzki
© ap2 Architects
The terrace - the center of home life - was divided into two parts: a place for eating breakfast together in the garden, and a place for the Christmas tree decorated in winter with Christmas ornaments so important for children. The entire terrace is sheltered by a glulam pergola. The sleeping quarters were designed in a reverse layout from the living area: the parents' bedroom, dressing room and two bathrooms are separated from the terrace by a corridor, while access to the children's bedroom and bathroom is from the playroom adjacent to the terrace.
View of the interior of the house in Aleksandrów Lodzki.
© ap2 Architects
combination of wood and concrete
The architectural composition reflects the adopted functional composition - the dark body of the living area, covered with a gable roof, is contrasted with the brightly finished body of the technical and private part, covered with a flat roof. The common denominator for the whole is the exotic wood facade, which is a somewhat exclusive decoration of the gable and arcades of the building. Wooden elements were also used in the interiors of the house, where it was decided to juxtapose somewhat cool loft-like accents with finishes based on gray concrete and the warmth of native woods such as oak and oak veneers.
