The design of the house by Agnieszka and Piotr Podsadny of ap2 Architekci studio was created on oblong plot, located at the end of an intimate mini estate of single-family houses. There is a park in the immediate vicinity, and its greenery and eminently scenic character almost unambiguously imposed a rather bold concept on the functioning of the entire house.
The shape of the plot and its longitudinal location, as well as the opening to the park adjoining from the west, actually defined the functional and spatial composition of the entire establishment from the very beginning. The scheme of reversing the leisure zone from the public space, typical of single-family housing, was abandoned. Already in the first sketches of the composition appeared a rather unusual idea of locating all the living quarters of the house - that is, the living room, the study and all the bedrooms - on the west side, with a view of the surrounding park greenery. What's more, one of the two leisure terraces was located on the park side, and the fencing of the plot on the public space side was completely abandoned.
View of the terrace of the house in Lodz
© ap2 Architects
Glazing and two terraces
The house was designed on a T-shaped plan. The longer, ground-floor part, covered by a flat roof, organizes the rooms in one line with a view of the park. The designed rooms have large glazing, maximally inviting the surrounding greenery into the house. Transversely to this body, a higher part was proposed, covered with a gable roof, housing the living area - the living room and kitchen - nested on an east-west axis. The living room has exits to two terraces: one western, elongated one facing the park, and the other, providing more privacy and respite from the summer western sun, designed on the northeastern side. The kitchen, located next to the living room, has a good view of the front part of the plot, where the driveway to the house, a two-car, flat-roofed carport, a single-car garage and the main entrance to the building were located.
View of the front part of the house in Lodz
© ap2 Architects
design hit
The location and neighborhood of the park, the functional-spatial composition of the house, the clear division of the plot into three zones: the driveway, the private garden and the garden open to the greenery from the very beginning seemed to be the answer to the task set to the designers to maximize the advantages of the plot. Suffice it to mention that the initial concept, presented to the investor at the first meeting, immediately gained his full acceptance. In consultation with the investor, the body of the part covered with a gable roof was finished with ceramic tiles, which covered both the roof slopes and elevations. The gables of the living part were decided to be plastered in a dark color. On the park side, one of the building's gables was enriched with aluminum light-breakers, which shield the living room with a post-and-beam facade from excessive penetration of western sunlight. The elongated part covered by the flat roof was designed in white plaster with the addition of ceramic elements in the arcades.
General view of the rear part of the house in Lodz.
© ap2 Architects
opening to space
The minimalist design of the Lodz house certainly realizes the idea of dialogue of architecture with space and nature, fitting perfectly into the local context. The lack of a fence, the reversal of the typical design scheme, the use of large glazing - these are solutions that open not only the building, but above all its inhabitants to the surrounding space with very attractive qualities.
