In beautiful natural circumstances, on the border of the Jurassic forest, a wooden single-family house is being built. The building, designed by Barbara Borowik-Krysiak and Jaroslaw Krysiak of the doomo architectural studio, thanks to its gabled roof and simple form, fits in with the surrounding rural buildings.
The dark body of the building refers to and derives directly from the local building tradition and neighboring homestead buildings. Facades covered with boards create an openwork cover - the "skin" of the house. The use of timber frame technology, significantly speeds up the construction process. Meanwhile, the interior, thanks to appropriately selected glazing, is bright and full of light. All rooms of the house are open to the height of the roof slope, which enhances the sense of space and lightness.
The dark façade of the building contrasts with the light interior
© doomo
Dobrawa Bies: What was the priority when designing the house?
Jaroslaw Krysiak: The project site is located in a natural setting of forest and meadows. In the distance you can see homestead buildings of a standard character for the Polish countryside: wooden or brick, based on a rectangular plan, covered mostly with gabled roofs. Taking all this into account, the main design consideration was to blend in as much as possible with the landscape and surrounding buildings. Therefore, natural cladding materials in the form of boards were used, which will patina over time, changing with the surroundings. The simplicity of the form fits in with the surrounding buildings, while at the same time allowing the investment to be completed relatively cheaply and quickly, which was also one of the objectives. To reduce construction costs, it was also decided to use timber-frame technology implemented on site.
The gabled roof is reminiscent of homestead buildings
© doomo
Dobrawa Bies: What was the biggest design challenge?
Jarosław Krysiak: The biggest design challenge was not architectural, technical or functional issues. It was wading through the restrictions of current regulations, which limit the possibility of development in the immediate vicinity of the forest. It was necessary to go through a months-long procedure related to obtaining a variance from technical conditions, which made it possible to realize the building next to the forest.
Dobrawa Bies: What do you think the barn-house phenomenon is based on?
Jaroslaw Krysiak: The current barn house phenomenon is due to several rational factors. The first is limiting construction costs, which also means limiting overly complicated architectural forms. The second is limiting the cost of operating the house, which can be achieved by using a maximally simple and compact body. Another factor is the provisions of local plans, which in most rural and suburban areas of our country impose symmetrical pitched roofs. The choice of a barn-type house is often ultimately determined by its timeless form.
elaborated: Dobrawa Bies
