The gray November weather is conducive to running thoughts towards vacation and relaxation. Once we choose between the mountains and the sea in this yearning imagination, it is worth thinking about a place to stay with an ideal view. For those who prefer to admire the hills from their windows in the morning, architects from the exexe studio propose a guesthouse in the picturesque Beaver Valley.
The design of the guesthouse and outbuilding is located on a picturesque plot of land in the municipality of Wleń, in Lower Silesia province, with an impressive view of the mountain ranges. The architects' goal was to make maximum use of the scenic qualities and to provide the best possible natural light for the interiors.
axonometrics
© exexe
Both the material and spatial composition were conceived in such a way as to best blend the building into the natural and cultural landscape, while at the same time maintaining the building's distinct individual character. The habitat proposed by the architects will consist of a two-story residential building - a guesthouse with four apartments in the attic and a ground-floor owner's apartment - and an outbuilding housing a workshop, a bicycle shed and a woodshed in the arcade.
The guesthouse was located in the western, highest part of the plot. Due to the varied topography of the terrain and its significant slope, the architects designed two massive platforms - high foundations, on which they placed minimalist building blocks with gabled roofs: the larger one - residential and the smaller one - utility.
scheme
© exexe
The architects' proposed dark tiles and wood in two shades are meant to be a contemporary interpretation of the solutions used for years in the region. In addition, as the authors of the project emphasize, the form of the buildings with exposed structural elements - pillars - is to freely refer to the half-timbered buildings, special to this region. Both buildings have been designed in light timber frame construction.
cross-section
© exexe
The body of the guesthouse has been extended beyond the outline of the concrete base and suspended above the planned flower meadow. To ensure that guests resting in the guesthouse are in contact with the surrounding landscape, the architects designed the overhanging section as an open viewing gallery at the first floor level (accessible from the common living area and from the owner's apartment), as well as four balconies belonging to guest rooms in the attic. As the project's authors point out, the numerous recesses in the south elevation provide its natural shading and protection against overheating of the building in summer, which harmonizes with the energy-efficient nature of the development. What's more, on the southwestside, on an extended pedestal, the architects planned a multifunctional terrace with a view facing the farthest mountain ranges.
