In Zakopane, in a quiet area of the Strążyska Valley bordering the Tatra National Park, there is a new development by the Karpiel Steindel Architektura office. The terraced houses with a classic body are a combination of tradition and modern materials - glass, mirrors and black steel.
The neighborhood at the exit of Zakopane's Strążyska Valley is characterized by fairly quiet, low-rise villas. This area, not far from the popular Krupówki, is located off the main arteries of the city. It is here, near the border of the Tatra National Park, on an exceptionally attractive plot of land, that architects from Karpiel Steindel Architektura realized the latest project of houses of varying heights. Their unusual arrangement was conditioned by the sloping plot.
The terraced buildings create an intimate enclave
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Karpiel Steindel Architecture
As Jan Karpiel-Bułecka says:
The most important task was to put the houses at Strążyska Street into the context of their surroundings. The terraced buildings create an intimate enclave. They refer to the architecture of the region, but are not devoid of contemporary accents. The building is lowered in one of its three parts and slopes down toward the north. The terrain was a challenge that required finding a new idea for the massing. We used an interesting procedure of shifting the segments both horizontally in relation to each other and vertically. As a result, the houses fit better into the surrounding landscape.
The facade of the buildings is made of spruce amphibians
Photo: Paweł Ulatowski © Karpiel Steindel Architecture
modern reference to the tradition of the region
An important element of the project was to fit in with the Zakopane surroundings - a traditional highland villa is located on a neighboring plot, and to better blend with its elements, the architects decided to make the elevation from spruce amphibians. The effect of lightness is given by mirrors arranged alternately with the amphibians. It is in them that the traditional architecture of Podhale is reflected during the day, while at night the horizontal mirror planes are drowned in black.
The block is divided into segments by solid stone walls
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Karpiel Steindel Architektura
The gable wall elevation also refers to the architecture of the region. They are keyboard-arranged larch skirts - in the old Podhale village buildings arranged horizontally or diagonally, while the design by Karpiel Steindel Architektura is mounted vertically. Black steel masonry set in the dormers also adds a modern touch to the building, replacing the classic ornamentation in wooden beams. Black sheet metal also appears in the facade, gently cutting off the first floor from the attic.
Mirrors were used on the facade alternating with the amphibians
Photo: Paweł Ulatowski © Karpiel Steindel Architektura
Glazing in the windows and balustrades of the spacious balconies blur the boundaries with nature. The body of the building is divided into segments by solid stone walls, stretching from the first floor to the ridge. At the level of the terraces, pots made of stone with characteristic mountain dwarf pine also appeared. Together with numerous spruce trees, they mark a natural boundary, providing privacy for the residents of each of the six apartments.
