Resembling a pyramid in shape, the hipped roof with a truncated gable gained popularity when the later Pritzker Prize winner, Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, used it in the design of Paulo Rego's Casa das Histórias museum. This solution not only allows natural light to be brought into the interiors through a skylight in the roof, but also creates an interesting massing, especially when the slopes and eaves of the roof seamlessly turn into walls and the whole is covered with a uniform material.
A similar procedure, albeit on a different scale and in different proportions, was used by designers from Warsaw's Stoprocent Architekci studio, creating House by the Rock - a picturesquely located House in the Karkonosze Mountains, more precisely in Jelenia Góra. The house was designed on a hillside-located, sculpted plot of land, which neighbors a densely wooded area excluded from development to the east. The terrain is very varied in terms of height (the height difference across the plot is about six meters) - its highest point is in the southwestern part of the plot, which slopes down to the northeast, opening up to a view of wooded areas, a massive boulder and, in the long run, the Giant Mountains.
site development plan
© STOPROCENT Architects
According to the authors of the project, the location, neighboring buildings, terrain and exposure to the unique rock formation influenced the location of the newly designed building in the northern part of the plot, which allows to make the best use of its natural cleavage. The house is formed by two offset square blocks, rotated to maximize views of the mountain landscape and the movement of the sun during the day.
first floor plan
© STOPROCENT Architects
Covered by the aforementioned hipped roofs with a 50-degree slope angle, the parts of the house differ in height and function - the lower one houses a spacious living area with a kitchen, dining room and living room, while the higher one has a study spread over two floors (with space for putting together lego sets!), a guest room, a fitness area, a sauna and a bathroom on the first floor, and on the first floor a bedroom, a dressing room and a large bathroom, above which a skylight has been placed to let in the sun's rays during the day, and at night to allow you to admire the starry sky while taking a bath.
visualization of the day part
© STOPROCENT Architects
The masses are united by a glazed connector serving as an entrance area with a vestibule, dressing room and communication, and being an extension of the living room thanks to a relaxation area with armchairs and a fireplace placed in it. No less interesting is the solution of the garage - from the street level one can enter the underground floor, where, in addition to a parking space for two cars, a workshop, a ceramic studio illuminated by the terrace located above, sanitary facilities and technical rooms are planned.
first floor plan
© STOPROCENT Architects
The compact masses achieve their monolithic expression through massive forms and the facade material that unites the building.
In response to such a unique plot and the building's unique form, the facade finishes were designed to be identical on the walls and the roof. The facade planes and the planes of the roof slopes will be finished with shingles of its characteristic texture in the color of living wood, which will gray over time, the project's authors explain.
In order to slightly break the homogeneous wooden shell of the building, the architects introduced large glazing, opening up to views from different parts of the house, and vertical laths in a dark anthracite color - blinds with which, depending on the time of day or the mood of the house's residents, the windows will be covered.
visualization of the House in Karkonosze
© STOPROCENT Architects
