{tag:studenci}, a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology, received an honorable mention in the international Design Educates Awards competition in the Architectural Design category. His project—WiseBuild. Conceptual Solutions Assistant for single-family homes, is a digital tool that provides an alternative to catalog designs, allowing people to actively participate in the design of their own energy-efficient home.
The Design Educates Awards is a competition for designers and architects who want to create change in the world through their work. Each year, the judges select the best projects, both completed and concepts. The themes of the awards were inspired by a study titled. „Education of Buildings” ("Bildende Bauten") by Dr. Peter Kuczia. Submitted proposals are judged on the following criteria: overall idea and implementation, educational potential, effectiveness and quality of the information layer, aesthetics, quality of presentation, visionary approach, originality, feasibility and versatility. Importantly, all ideas must emphasize the educational potential of design.
WiseBuild—the main principles of the tool
© Damian Granosik
awarded digital tool design
This year, in the Architectular Design category, an honorable mention went to a project from Poland, by Damian Granosik. Recognized by the international jury, WiseBuild is a master's thesis made under the direction of Dr. Ewelina Gawell. The young architect's goal was to develop a tool to support the design of an energy-efficient single-family house. The proposed method combines the advantages of typical individual and energy-efficient design, providing the possibility to create a large number of personalized solutions. This digital tool can act as a consultant, advising the investor and designer on the optimal solutions, while leaving room for creative work.
User preference survey and room layout method
© Damian Granosik
The paper deals with the use of digital tools in the initial phase of architectural design of single-family houses in Poland. The computer as a tool replaced the pencil in the hands of architects and gave rise to the development of new design methods and techniques. Data has become an interactive design parameter that we are able to process, analyze and evaluate at the concept stage. Conducting simulations and optimizations allows us to analyze more cases more accurately. This has an impact on the design concept, meeting the requirements of energy-efficient and economical construction. Insolation, shading, solar gains or visual comfort are factors that affect the quality of the designed space, and their analysis, can contribute to informed design decisions. Tailoring to the location and individual needs of the investor does not exist in catalog designs, and these are the cornerstones of a successful home design. The scale of the problems generated by today's popular ready-made designs outweighs the benefits. By using catalog architectural solutions on a mass scale in Poland, we are confronting a landscape of mismatched houses," explains Damian Granosik.
analysis results andselected functional schemes
© Damian Granosik
assistance in designing
energy-efficient houses
The author set himself the goal of creating a tool to help design an energy-efficient single-family house with a usable attic. He proposed a method that uses the advantages of typical design, individual design and energy-efficient design.
This approach makes it possible to obtain a large number of personalized solutions, adjust the location of the building in relation to the world sides and the location, which will ultimately reduce operating costs. Such a strategy can be an alternative to catalog designs—it allows the investor to actively participate in the design of his own house, without giving up the services of an architect , the designer adds.
example of a house in Warsaw
© Damian Granosik
An example of a house design in Warsaw
For the purpose of the study, the PW graduate chose a plot of land on Ezop Street in Warsaw and the Radość housing estate, which is part of the Wawer district. From a generated catalog of a dozen functional schemes, he selected a first floor layout that has a clear distribution of rooms. The transverse layout of 8×12 m allows for more openings on the south side in the living area and provides privacy from the street. The author left the western part of the plot intact, maintaining the natural landscape and tree stand. This provided an opportunity to create a natural barrier from neighboring plots.
ground and first floor plan of the sample house
© Damian Granosik
In shaping the architectural form, Damian Granosik distinguished several stages. The first decision, which is also the main principle, of the proposed configurator for creating functional schemes, was to choose a simple, compact block on a rectangular plan with a gabled roof. The author then differentiated the angle of the roof slope. The asymmetrical roof, he says, will allow the solar gains from the photovoltaic panels placed on the southern slope to be increased. It does not negatively affect the comfort of the attic, due to the high knee wall. The garage, located outside the building block (on its eastern side), creates a buffer space between the blocks. This space is also the entrance zone of the house and to the garden.
visual coherence
The canopy over the entrance and garage is a separate structure, but in order to unify with the body of the house the author used the same facade material—clinker brick and wood. The brick of beige and white color, with a dark-colored joint, was laid in two different ways. For the lower part of the building, which serves as a pedestal , the architect introduced a tile bond method , inverted. He used the same bonding method for the upper section, which surrounds the building above the windows. The middle section is a trolley bond and a longer brick format.
The facade is covered with clinker brick and wood
© Damian Granosik
The upper part of the building is highlighted by a material that has dominated the area in the past thanks to the popularity of summer houses and the Świdermajer style. Wood, or more precisely European larch, blends in with the numerous trees on the plot and blends with the color of the brick in the lower part of the building, the author explains.
Another important design decision was to dispense with window and door openings on the north side of the house. The window openings, partially defined using an optimization process, open the building to the south and west sides of the world. A gazebo was placed on the spacious terrace, with wooden elements providing shade in summer. The west-facing rooms in the attic have sliding wooden blinds mounted in a frame on the facade.
The popularization of energy-efficient solutions in single-family housing seems necessary and crucial at a time of energy crisis in the world, Damian Granosik concludes.
