Wooden House is a multi-family building designed right on the banks of Rzeszow's lagoon. The bifurcated body of the building, designed by MWM Architekci, will provide future residents with picturesque views and close contact with the environment. Maciej Łobos of MWM Architekci talks about the design process, goals and solutions used.
fragmented body of the building
© MWM Architects
Ola Kloc: What was the priority for the investor?
Maciej Lobos: The investor's priority was to maximize profits, which is a matter of course, because the idea is always to make the best use of the resources available to us. The task of an architect, as we understand it at MWM, is to do it as well as possible and with respect for the environment. We try to make sure that our work also creates added value, and we are happy to see that people understand and appreciate this. More and more people are beginning to understand the importance of the quality of architecture, its impact both on our well-being and on building the image of the city or the Investor, and good designs sell faster and more expensive.
Ola: What is the reason for the disjointed body of the building?
Maciej: The shape of the building and its disjointedness, is the result of many painstaking analyses. On the one hand, we have a unique plot of land located right on the shore of the lagoon, and we were keen to provide residents with the best possible views and contact with the environment, but also to give them a sense of intimacy. It was also a matter of providing the right amount of sunlight and meeting the shading requirements for both the new building and the neighboring buildings. The dismemberment of the facade itself, thanks to the use of bay windows-pixels-helps to make the block visually smaller, so that it appears smaller and does not overwhelm its surroundings. The same purpose is served by the withdrawal of the upper floors - on the side of the existing buildings, the mass has four floors, the next ones are stepped back as the height increases.
{The same purpose is served by moving the upper floors back - on the side of the existing building the building has four floors, and the next ones go back in steps with the increase in height, title=on the side of the existing building the building has four floors, and the next ones go back in steps with the increase in height}
from the side of the existing buildings the building has four floors, the next ones go back in steps as the height rises
© MWM Architects
Ola: How did you functionally solve the layout of the apartments in the building?
Maciej: We tried to use the available space as efficiently as possible. Therefore, the building is served by only one centrally located staircase. The apartments are arranged concentrically around the cage and a short corridor. Contrary to what the external appearance may suggest, the building itself is very rational structurally. The whole is based on an orthogonal grid, and the rooms are rectangular and adjustable.
Ola: What was the most difficult part of this project, and what are you most satisfied with?
Maciej: We know from experience that there are no easy projects, even if sometimes they are small buildings. We always try to discover what the problem of the location is and define the goals before we start work. In the case of Wooden House, on the one hand we have a unique location, which, even if we wanted to, is so exposed that any building created there will be evaluated by a lot of people, and necessarily this evaluation will also touch the architects. From the beginning we were aware that we were designing an icon. On the other hand, we had a negative attitude towards the neighborhood and the development, which provides a very poor context. On top of that, there were legal problems, because in the meantime the Water Law changed and a new authority appeared, which made formal matters very complicated.
visualization of the lump of Wooden House
© MWM Architects
Nevertheless, we think it was worth it. The greatest fun for us is always when the Investor is surprised by what we show him and when he strongly identifies with the project. In this case, the Investor set himself the goal of realizing a difficult and very ambitious building and fought for it like a lion. Construction is underway and we hope that in 2022 residents will move in and the building will become another landmark of Rzeszow.
Ola: Thank you for the interview.
