The white modern single-family house in Tychy is devoid of decoration. The authors of the design of the minimalist form — the DD Architekci studio team — focused on simplicity and functionality of solutions. Starting from the classic cuboid, step by step they created individual zones, focusing on creating openings in the mass in order to blur the boundary between what is inside and what is outside.
The one-story house with a pavilion-like form differs from the surrounding buildings, typical of the suburbs of Polish cities. The architects do not hide this, in the photos they present we can see the immediate surroundings, numerous archetypal houses with gabled roofs, in the owners' garden there is even a miniature version of it — a place for children to play.
south elevation
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
The architects focused on the green view axes — towards the field and the forest. Thus, the mass on the entrance side gives the impression of being more massive and closed, while on the forest side it is lighter, almost translucent, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.
south-eastern elevation
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
Dariusz Dudek of DD Architekci studio talks about the inspiration in the project from the work of two Pritzker Prize winners and following form with function
Ola Kloc: The house, as you emphasize, is an expression of respect for the work of Shigeru Ban and Eduardo Souto de Moura. What solutions of these architects inspired you?
Dariusz Dudek: We do not hide our fascination with the work of Shigeru Ban and Eduardo Souto de Moura, whom we appreciate for their simplicity of form and function. Shigeru Ban, in his early works, mastered working on grids and creating on the basis of open forms, as seen, for example, in the design of the Nine Square Grid House. Our inspiration was also the Wall-Less House, which practically lets all the natural surroundings into the interior, almost living together with the landscape surrounding the building.
A view of the entrance to the house
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
The second of the masters of modern architecture — Eduardo Souto de Moura — is a virtuoso of simplicity and modernist form. We highly respect him for his consistency and complete disregard for fashions and architectural trends. In this case, we were inspired by the Portuguese's approach to the space at the interface between the interior and exterior of the building. In de Moura's works, they form a whole, extending the living space while giving a feeling of intimacy. It gives the feeling that the exterior spaces of the house are an integral and inseparable part of the building's interior, and vice versa.
view from the south-east side
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
Ola: The principle that form follows function also resounds strongly here. What was the process of shaping the building like?
Dariusz: The main design assumption was maximum simplicity, in every respect. No ornaments, fashionable details and gadgets. Pure simple architectural form. The building was created according to the principle that the shaping of the architectural form should be directly related to the functional needs of the building.
idea of shaping the house
© DD Architekci
We cared about using the possibilities of the plot and designing the space around the house. The true identity of an object does not end at its walls, but extends further, interacting with the spaces bordering between the interior and exterior. According to this principle, a house is not only a residential object, but also an element of the surrounding environment.
plans
© DD Architekci
At the beginning, we created a functional cuboid, from which we separated the various zones of the house one by one. The result of these actions is an irregular block — with a smaller volume on the first floor and space "cut out" for outdoor terraces or an entrance zone.
bedroom
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
Ola: The pursuit of zero-emission architecture is slowly becoming a standard, did you apply any eco-friendly solutions in this project? If so, which ones?
Dariusz: The entire building has an integrated ecological system for space heating and cooling. It is equipped with an air-to-air heat pump powered by 80 percent extracted energy, integrated with a mechanical ventilation system supplemented by a recuperator for heat recovery.
A green terrace system is used for insulation, but also collects rainwater into a tank for later technical use.
bird's eye view
Photo: Tomasz Burzynski | © DD Architekci
Ola: Thank you.
