UGO architecture builds steel-clad holiday house next to tranquil lake in poland

UGO presents croissant-shaped holiday home

Atop a steep slope in the eastern part of Wielkopolska, Poland, UGO architecture has built a croissant-shaped summer house next to a tranquil lake. The residence encloses a 120-meter-long wooden terrace that extends into the living room and is shaded by mature pine trees of the area. The materiality of the building and the dynamic nature of its surroundings allow it to alter its appearance according to the time of day and the weather. In this way, the house becomes one with the forested Polish landscape.
all images by Alexandra Timpau /Alex Shoots Buildings, unless stated otherwise

made of steel and wood

For this residential project, UGO architecture has made the best out of the lake and the pine trees around it. ‘We wanted as many rooms as possible to face the water and to keep most of the trees.’ the Polish studio explains.

Steel and wood are the two main materials on the exterior of the residence. Corrugated sheets are used to cover the roof’s sloped areas and façade. Due to its ease of maintenance and capacity to be cleaned with water under pressure, this material guarantees the longevity of the façades for many years. On the exterior, the sun’s rays shining at an angle provide a relief rich in deep chiaroscuro that resembles the bark of the nearby trees.

The technical nature of the material places it in the context of nearby farm buildings, some of which have corrugated asbestos roofs. The gutters are overscaled – they have rectangular gargoyles in the form of strongly protruding brackets, thanks to which the traditional vertical downspouts have been abandoned. The water that flows from the gargoyles does not run down the facade, but irrigates the plants around the house.

The building is equipped with a heat pump, and all ventilation ducts and smoke exhaust from the fireplace are located in one large chimney, which has the form of a truncated cone. A huge terrace is a place for living, resting and eating for the inhabitants of the house. Its slightly raised platform was intended to allow the household members to commune with nature, but without interfering with it. The result was not so much a house with a terrace, but a terrace with a house.

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image courtesy of UGO

image courtesy of UGO

project info:

name: Terrace with a house by the lake
designer: UGO architecture
lead architects: Hugon Kowalski,  Wiktor Wika
location: Wielkopolska, Poland

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edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom