Architect: UGO
Address: ul. Garbary 29/1, 61-868 Poznań, Polska
E-mail: kontakt@ugo.com.pl
Location: Wielkopolska, Poland
Year: 2021
Usable area: 179,1m2
Photographs: Alexandra Timpau (Alex Shoots Buildings)
The building is surrounded on three sides by a large terrace, which is the focal point of the house. It opens to the west, providing the interior with sun and optimal views. The platform of the terrace is the main living space, it allows constant contact with nature, without interfering with it.
The house was built at the top of an escarpment by the lake, in the eastern part of Wielkopolska. The original design of the house was to be in the type of a modern barn, one end wall of which would be completely glazed, thus opening the living room towards the lake. However, in such an arrangement, only the living area would have a view of the water, the remaining rooms, including bedrooms, would be directed to the sides.
The plot has two main advantages: the view of the lake and the pine trees growing on it. We wanted as many rooms as possible to face the water and to keep most of the trees. The long plot stretched east-west is crossed by a medium voltage line, which meant that only the part closest to the slope was suitable for development.
Terrace – the heart of the house
The heart of the house is a large, 120-meter long terrace. The building surrounds this space on three sides – the actual shape closes the terrace from the east, from the north there is a wing housing the master bedroom, from the south it is surrounded by an arm with a bedroom for guests and a roofed part of the terrace. The enclosure of the terrace made it an additional room. The extensive house allowed the trees to grow in the center.
They shade the terrace and also protect against overheating in the summer. The side wings additionally protect against the wind and provide full privacy for vacationing residents. The living room opens onto the terrace with high glazing, and the sliding windows allow you to combine the interior and exterior of the building into one functional space.
From the side of the long driveway, the entrance facade is not very transparent. There is an additional building next to the wide driveway – a garage for 2 cars with a shelter for a motorboat. A metal ramp leads to the front door, from which you can look at the sight through the house – your gaze goes through the kitchen, the glass opposite wall, all the way to the lake. From the threshold, you can see the water perspective, which was the most important theme.
Two main materials that were used in the outer body are steel and wood. The facades and sloping parts of the roof are covered with corrugated sheets. The material ensures the durability of the facades for years and is also easy to maintain because it allows you to wash the dirt with water under pressure.
The expression of the building changes at different times of the day and under the influence of the weather. The sun’s rays shining at an angle create a relief full of deep chiaroscuro on the facades, reminiscent of the bark of the surrounding trees. The technical nature of the material places it in the context of nearby farm buildings, some of which have corrugated asbestos roofs.
Wood was used where the residents and guests have the most frequent contact with the building. It already appears in the entrance recess – a substitute for a porch. The façades on the west side were completely faced with Siberian larch, and the entire terrace was covered with wooden boards.
The functional layout of the building has been designed as a summer house with the possibility of year-round use. In addition to two classic bedrooms that open onto the terrace, there are two rooms with mezzanines – these rooms can also be transformed into additional bedrooms, thanks to which up to 12 people can comfortably sleep in the house. Mezzanines allow access to the roof, where an additional terrace has been created.
Dedicated details have been designed in the building. 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.
At home, life revolves around a large terrace. Its covered part functions as an outdoor dining area during the warmer part of the year. The master bedroom has its own separate terrace, ensuring even more privacy for the hosts.
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.
