KWK promes blends living and nature with garden house in poland

KWK promes blends living and nature with garden house in poland
all images © jakub certowicz

integrating architecture with the verdant outdoors, this single-family house in poland is a project by the architects at KWK promes. called ‘living-garden house in katowice’, the organization features a ground floor lounge that completely opens up to the garden, while the upper level is situated in a private and more intimate overhanging volume.

the form and materials reference local silesian worker settlements featuring red masonry and asphalt-lined gable roofs

using glass partitions, mirrors and fake grass; the living room becomes a living garden. ‘we live in the garden during the day and enclose in the cocoon at night – an idea derived from the past. our ancestors would harvest food in daylight while sheltering in the trees at night. living-garden restores the original order.’ comments the design team.

reflective surfaces and sliding partitions allow the ground floor to completely open up to the garden

the form and materials of the dwelling is a constant reference to the local traditions. the gabled form and red-brick materiality is a nod to the silesian worker settlements. moreover, the ground floor is set parallel to the road for the building to isolate the backyard garden from the road, whereas the first floor was shifted at 90 degrees to overhang and penetrate the garden.

the scheme attempts to fully integrate the architecture of the single-family house with nature

visualized with two façades, the street side appears closed off, while on the other side, the distinctive ledge rests on two reinforced concrete walls covered with stainless steel to produce a de-materializing effect. in turn, on warm days, the glass partitions can be removed to enable the indoor space to seamlessly merge with the garden.

by using a fake grass material and opening up each end of the lounge, this seamlessly blends the garden with living

encouraging an environmentally-friendly lifestyle for the family, the dwelling is a class A energy building. in the summer months, insulation is not required, while the overhang protects the ground-floor from overheating. additionally, locally-sourced materials were used during construction.

in the summer the building requires no artificial cooling

staircase leading to the upstairs

local materials were mainly used; brick from the brickyard and wood from the sawmill nearby

the ground floor was set parallel to the road for the building to isolate the backyard garden from the road

‘the living room has become the living-garden. we live in the garden during the day and enclose in the cocoon at night’

the street-side façade is enclosed, inaccessible, raising the comfort of its residents, guaranteeing maximum intimacy

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