A plot of land near Warsaw's Pola Mokotowskie. A small piece of greenery in the city, which many dream of during the pandemic. What does the capital's oasis of calm look like to architects from DESEA studio? This is an unusual summer house on the grounds of the Rakowiec Family Allotment Gardens.
Rodzinne Ogrody Działkowe
Summer houses, or rather recreationalhouses, as they are referred to those located in the city, are rather associated with temporary wooden structures. In form, they are usually far from contemporary, practical and aesthetic architecture. But especially in the age of pandemonium, not only do Family Allotment Gardens evoke sentiment, but with travel difficult, anything that is hidden in greenery and provides relaxation is at a premium. Rakowiec, in close proximity to Pola Mokotowskie. Turning into Żwirki i Wigury. Plot No. 477. For the area of an allotment garden, the greenery here spreads over a whole 300 square meters. Meanwhile, this unique house, for known reasons, has only 35 of them. And with its simplicity and functionality, it invites even the most sensitive to aesthetics to relax.
Photo: Jakub Certowicz | DESEA
The function of the cottage is typically recreational and leisure. Family weekends and meetings with friends. It turns out that a well-arranged 35 meters can be comfortable.
Plywood and recycled boards
These 35 meters include a spacious living room with a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom. The bungalow is built on a lightweight timber-frame structure and sits on a foundation slab, which when rubbed down was the finished floor. Facades made of HPL panels and waterproof plywood. The plywood was not subjected to any impregnation, so it remained raw and aged naturally. The hut is equipped with a main entrance door and a side door, which provides additional ventilation. The doors were handmade from the same plywood as the walls of the building. Unusual cabinet development for electric meters made of deep veneered, lacquered boards from an old bookcase from the People's Republic of Poland.
photo by Jakub Certowicz | DESEA
1970s on the lot
The interior walls were also finished with raw plywood. The floor was made of resin. The spaces were decorated in keeping with the prevailing climate in the gardens. The 70s reign supreme, with stylish armchairs, a lamp and distinctive white kitchen cabinets suspended above a natural wooden countertop. A huge asset of the cottage is the natural light that comes in through the numerous glass windows. On the south-eastern side of the building the window, or rather the glazing of the wall, is as long as 8 meters.
photo by Jakub Certowicz | DESEA
a place to work and relax
The space in the cottage, although small, has been divided into zones. One can distinguish a place to work - a countertop with a view of the greenery, a living area - a living room with a kitchen and a private space, i.e. a bedroom. Both the minimalist interior with greenery permeating inside, and the simple form of the body of the cottage make the atmosphere for relaxation (also ideal for remote work). This is how architects in the city relax in spaces designed for themselves.
Photo by Jakub Certowicz | DESEA
Our intention is to create architecture that is contemporary and out of time. We understand this as giving it values that do not degrade over time. Aesthetics, form and functionality must survive many seasons. We create architecture that is thoughtful and restrained. - say the architects from the studio founded by Adam Pszczółkowski - DESEA - about themselves, and this simple bungalow project only confirms it.
Marta Kowalska
