Aatrial House / KWK PROMES

Nov 2008

Uploaded by Nico Saieh — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , Concrete, Patio, Poland

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Architects: KWK PROMES
Location: Opole, Poland
Project Architect: Robert Konieczny
Collaborators: Marlena Wolnik, Łukasz Prażuch
Design Year: 2002-2003
Construction Year: 2003-2006
Site Area: 10,057 sqm
Constructed Area: 660 sqm
Photographs: KWK PROMES

Location

The house is situated in Poland, close to Opole. Majority of low density settlement in the surroundings is formed of “cube – houses”, buildings typical for the 1970′s.

Idea

One hectare site near the forest, where the building is designed has only one weak point: south-western access. An obvious conflict develops between the driveway and the garden. The idea arose to lower the driveway in order to separate it from the garden. This prompted another idea – of a driveway leading inside to the ground floor level, from underneath the building, which became possible thanks to the creation of an inner atrium with the driveway in it.

New type of the house

As a result, the building opens up onto all sides with its terraces in an unrestricted manner, and the only way to get into the garden is through the atrium and the house.

This in turn has made it possible to obtain a new spatial model of the house, which is the reverse of an atrial building. The aatrial house is closed to the inside and opened to the surroundings.

Structure and materials

The gateway is situated in the highest point of the site sloping to the east side. The 10 metres wide driveway following slope’s declivity, was additionally lowered underneath the ground level, while the garden was partly raised above this level. As a result, the garden is separated from the driveway and the surroundings with a 2.5m high retaining wall. The building was situated on the garden level. For the sake of neighboring buildings, typical polish “cube – houses” arisen it 1970′s, the structure of the house results from various transformations of a cube.

As a result of stretching and bending particular surfaces of the cube, all the walls, floors and ceilings were defined, together with inner aatrium and terraces. This principle of formation has not only created the structure of the house, but also defined interior and exterior architecture, including use of materials. The building is a reinforced concrete monolith, and concrete is at the same time the finishing material of the transformed cube, while all additional elements are finished with dark ebony.

The driveway and retaining walls were made out of quarried granite blocks, the material characteristic for the surroundings.

: site plan

: ground floor plan

: first floor plan

: section

: axonometry

: idea diagram 01

: idea diagram 02

Cite:
Saieh , Nico . "Aatrial House / KWK PROMES" 04 Nov 2008. ArchDaily. Accessed 04 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/8262>

Comments (33)
Tweets (7)
Links to this entry (13)

Alex says:

Какой красивый проект,лаконичные,законченные линии,а какие
витражи,а въезд в гараж-замечательно.
Wow!Very beautiful project.Lines, stained-glass windows, entrance to garage-is remarkable

# November 4, 2008 at 12:34

m-suke says:

beatiful house, i really enyojed watching it, the atrial brings the nature inside the house and outside a clean form connected with the ambient in a harmonical way ..love it, best regards

# November 4, 2008 at 13:50

pepech says:

Every time I look at the Aatrial House I have an idea, that the exceptional idea and design of this building has absolutely no continuation in its functionality. For me it looks like art for art’s sake and a nice idea for an exhibition space, but not for living. What for are those transparent walls if there’s barbed wire all around the house?

# November 4, 2008 at 14:10

Alexandre says:

really, really beautiful!

# November 4, 2008 at 17:07

Carlos Cartaya says:

Excelent house….a bliss…!!

# November 4, 2008 at 20:08

mmedinah says:

Very nice… great concept.

# November 5, 2008 at 01:42

sebastian says:

looking the KMS’s website… i found similar houses with the curve ramp… good!!!

# November 5, 2008 at 02:54

MZ says:

Perfect, smooth, light, even the details are high quality.

…but why such stairs? It breaks the optic, denies the cartesian system. Place was enough for right-angle, straight stairs there. It is not enough crooked to be an independent sculpture, it is just a twist that doesn´t fit, even if it is perfectly executed.

But that´s just one little remark, I would be proud to build such buildings.

# November 5, 2008 at 05:12

muhaha says:

simplicity is always the best way to go….

# November 5, 2008 at 05:40

Musser says:

absolutely STUNNING! another wonderful project out of Poland.

# November 5, 2008 at 09:05

Lite says:

Breathtaking piece of perfection

# November 5, 2008 at 10:16

sgurin says:

Fine building. Un beau bâtiment

# November 5, 2008 at 10:54

jarmo k says:

this is a wonderful building! and i really hope the outrium house by the same office will also be featured on archdaily (;

# November 5, 2008 at 16:36

Rocket Valentino says:

Lots of nice details, but somehow it seems misplaced. If I had to live in such a dreary landscape, behind barbed wire, I would want a more introvert architecture. The house looks like it wishes it had been built elsewhere. Might just be me, though…

That said, the entrance situation is INSPIRING! So simple, precise and beautiful. Well done.

# November 6, 2008 at 08:33

Archiviny says:

The inner Atrium idea also provides a sort of Bunker to manage the access and control to getting in house, besides the simplicity and amazing clear and transparent facades. Very nice!! I like it so much.

# November 10, 2008 at 16:04

Alan says:

This is a musem, not a home. It lacks any warmth. it is beautiful, but who could live in it comfortably ?

# December 11, 2008 at 20:32

Anas Azayzeh says:

V.good Work ..

# June 9, 2009 at 05:17

M. says:

Poetry! Love it!

# June 16, 2009 at 15:53

Jack Belisario says:

If this is poetry, it is a very sad one.
The disregard for the surrounding landscape makes this house another example of a great look but poor integrity.

# December 4, 2009 at 08:35

Nate says:

I agree, beautiful form surrounded by an oppressive fence and landscaping in complete disreguard of it’s context. It also represents an incredible amount of money to enclose relatively little space. While I don’t mind the use of resources to create beauty for many to enjoy, I have a really hard time with it when it’s waisted on very very few. We share this world for better or worse.

# April 12, 2010 at 16:41

sthlm design studio says: