In one of the suburban villages to the southwest of Wroclaw, a dense development of detached, often directory-style single-family houses is under construction. In this setting, one of the newly constructed buildings - a white, horizontal block on a rectangular plan - was built according to a design by Wrocław-based studio JASTAA.
The task of fitting into the existing context, according to the authors of the project, was not made easier by the orientation of the plot and the surrounding development of the house - neighbors on four sides and the entrance to the site from the southwest corner.
situation
© JASTAA
how to make the best use of a problematic plot of land?
The architects decided to locate the building in the northern part of the plot, so as to bring daylight into the interiors and frame views of the garden through large glazing. An entrance shed was located on the southwestern side, which made it possible to shorten the driveway for cars and create a natural boundary between the public and private zones, while a utility shed was located in the southeastern part. The proportions of all three blocks are to refer to the post-German farm buildings characteristic of the region.
single-family house in Żerniki Małe
Photo: Maciej Lulko
The house for a family of three was to be economical in construction and energy-efficient. The modest, simple body of the house, covered by a gable roof, is varied by two indentations - emphasizing the entrance and creating a small terrace, as well as glazing in various sizes - on the garden side, large, close to square, and at the border of the plot, in the part intended for residents' bedrooms - narrow and high.
cottages within a cottage
The modest body surprises with the interior. The single-story house is divided into open common and private spaces - bedrooms, bathrooms, study and library - enclosed in smaller blocks in the archetypal shape of a house.
house model
© JASTAA
The private rooms were enclosed in smaller blocks - "cottages" - thus creating a play between the open space of the garden with three blocks of cottages outside and the open common space with four blocks of enclosed rooms inside the dwelling, write architects from JASTAA studio.
The bright, somewhat austere, minimalist interior, which is dominated by white and gray, is warmed by vertical wooden planks, with which part of the walls are clad.
View from the kitchen to the living area
Photo: Maciej Lulko
