Can a house be built in the shape of a loop? The project made by {tag:pracownie} proves that it can, and there are many benefits to be gained from such an unusual layout.
The name of the studio, Mobius Architects, did not come from nowhere. Przemyslaw Olczyk's new development is a single-family house, the first floor of which is laid out on a complicated floor plan resembling a crisscrossing loop or Möbius ribbon. "Loop", as the project was named, also has a floor in the form of a small block with forms reminiscent of a typical single-family house with a gabled roof.
Loop house - view from the street
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
loop-shaped house
The unconventional way of solving the first floor space results from an attempt to unite the architecture with the landscape, while taking into account the investor's requirements for the layout of individual rooms. The projection chosen by the designers also has other advantages. The carefully worked out geometry made it possible to glaze the walls of a significant part of the rooms, providing residents with a view of the building's picturesque surroundings. Most of the windows face the lake over which the building has grown. Spaces of a more private nature are located in the second part of the house, located on the side of the access road. The motif of a crossed ribbon has another advantage - thanks to this layout it was possible to create an inner courtyard with a triangular outline. It features a small garden, and the windows of some of the rooms, such as the pool area, also face inward.
Loop house - floors
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
According to the project's authors, the ribbon motif also has a symbolic dimension:
This closed yet fluid motif reflects the philosophy of the continuum - the idea of a continuous cycle in which there is no beginning and no end, and everything exists in harmony and intertwining. This is not just a formal concept, but a profound reflection on the nature of being, which is expressed in material form. Thanks to this, the "Loop" house becomes not only a space for living, but also a kind of symbol of an architectural philosophy that puts human needs and nature on an equal footing.
Loop house - glazing from the side of the lake
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
The house can be accessed in two ways - through the superstructure visible from the street, which introduces visitors to a representative two-level staircase, and using a ramp running deep into the plot, to the ground level, up to the inner courtyard.
under the horizon line
The architecture of the "Loop" house was closely harmonized with the surrounding landscape. The naturally occurring unevenness of the terrain was used by the architect, Przemek Olczyk, to immerse a significant part of the block in greenery. As a result, "Loop" is almost invisible from the level of the street running nearby - it emerges gradually as you travel deeper into the plot. Above the horizon line, only the superstructure, perpendicular in outline, resolutely looks out, heralding the fact that the plot has been developed and there is a house on it. Most of the volume hides under the horizon line.
Loop house
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
greenery and rust
In the case of this project, greenery is not only the natural areas surrounding the building. The roof slopes have been covered with low grass, while some of the walls are overgrown with vines. On the side of the access street, a significant part of the house's surface was located below ground level. Here the roof was covered with lush vegetation in the form of flowerbeds and flower meadows, among which paths lined with stone paving were arranged. A large amount of greenery binds the building to the landscape, and also influences its thermal properties, level of biodiversity and ability to retain rainwater.
Loop house - green roofs
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
The architects also consciously chose the materials with which the "Loop" was finished. The walls were lined with natural stone and wood, and there is also a sheet of corten on some of them. A gate obscuring the passage to the inner courtyard was also made of corten. According to the architects, the choice of materials is meant to reflect the philosophy that was adopted when establishing the building's floor plan:
Stone and Corten are materials that change their texture and color over time, making the house "live" together with nature, adapting to changing weather conditions.
Loop house - entrance to the courtyard
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
technology in a remote area
The architects made sure that despite its peripheral location, the ribbon-shaped house offered residents a high level of comfort, also thanks to the use of modern technology. Pro-environmental advantages and a certain energy independence are ensured by photovoltaic panels, heating and cooling of rooms is provided by heat pumps, and the control of all installations is carried out with the help of an intelligent home equipment management system. In the interiors of the house, tenants will experience a touch of luxury - in the part located by the inner courtyard, the architect has planned a swimming pool area with a sauna. However, the real treasure of the "Loop" house is not the numerous amenities or interior design, but the surrounding nature, which harmoniously merged with the architecture.
