architecture club combines concrete frame with glazed façade for artist's studio in warsaw

basel-based studio architecture club has designed an atelier for polish artist monika sosnowska in warsaw, which comprises a concrete and glass studio and a wooden storage shed. reaching five and a half meters in height, the building outlines the maximum volume allowed on the site to offer the artist a generous light-drenched space for unobstructed experimentation.building images by hélène binet

model images by architecture club

architecture club has designed two complementary volumes for atelier monika sosnowska: a spacious concrete and glass studio and a wooden storage shed. the concrete frame of the studio spans over 12 meters, capturing northern and southern light through fully glazed facades. the rough texture of the concrete, cast against timber planks, echoes wooden sheds once characteristic for this warsaw neighborhood, while its tangible presence creates a perfect backdrop for the sculptures.

wishing to juxtapose the heavy materiality of the concrete frame with the slenderest steel structure of the glazing, karolina slawecka and pawel krzeminski, founders of architecture club, designed custom-made façades for the studio, which were eventually welded on site by the same craftsmen the artist works with on her pieces. the translucent glass of the street facade, the ceiling slab, spanning across 12m, is supported by three steel I-beams, which accommodate the lighting system and serve as a substructure for an art crane.

all elements and details inside are custom-made, including a freestanding solid oak modular piece of furniture that unfolds into a small toilet, kitchen and art storage, complemented by a six-meter-long oak table. all systems, including geothermal heating and cooling, ventilation, alarm etc. are seamlessly incorporated, making this minimal space an efficiently working machine to provide the optimal art conditions. the outside storage, complementing the atelier, is a simple timber shed attached to the existing garage creating an intimate garden path between the two new volumes.