Probably no one who passes by this home in Silesia would have guessed that it was built 50 years ago as a typical “Polish Cube”, of which there is a lot found throughout the country to this day. Thanks to the idea of Katowice Architects from SLAS architects studio, the building acquired a more modern face, and at the same time more space. See what you look like now.
Cubic houses are one of the Polish specialties. It can still be seen in many places today. It doesn’t look cute, but it is relatively functional. Their disadvantage is also the small size and closed spaces.
Alexander Bidnarsky and Marius Kumraus, two architects from the SLAS Architectural Studio in Katowice, argue that the “cube” could be an object grateful for adaptation. Investors came to them who wanted to expand their home from the 1960s, located on aziska Górne (Mikołów poviat, Śląskie Voivodeship).
House in aziska Górne
Location: Łaziska Górne
Investor: private
Authors: SLAS architekci, Aleksander Bednarski, Mariusz Komraus
Build: Firma Inżynierska STATYK
Usable area: 179.68 m2
Net area: 295 square meters
Kubatura: 1268,65 m3
A garage and a living room with a terrace have been added
The house is located on a suburban plot of land with a steep slope, surrounded by single-family architecture dotted with utility buildings.
The investor’s main requirement was to expand the daily zone. The building has undergone a comprehensive functional rearrangement and expansion. On the ground floor, most of the load-bearing partitions and walls have been removed and replaced with adhesives. On the south side, a two-story space was added, with a garage on the ground floor, and on the first floor – a living room with a balcony – says the architect Marius Comraus.
The balcony made a sensation. This is the most used space in the house
A balcony is a functional extension of the functions of the kitchen, dining room and living room, and due to the partial ceiling it forms an additional “room”, which is the most used space in the home. Its location means that, aside from the entire view of the living room, there is a view of the garden – it’s kind of a connection between the home and the garden.
On the second floor of the reconstructed “cube” are bedrooms with access to a spacious balcony and bathrooms.
Windows on the north side have been abandoned. It saves
But the architects didn’t just add more rooms to the drawing board (on a computer, of course). They abandoned some elements of architecture.
All redundant window openings have been removed from the north side of the building. This allowed for the money to be redirected and the use of panoramic glazing in the living room on the southwest side – Marius Comraus explains
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(29 photos)
What does the “cube” house of PRL look like now? See for yourself how …
The ground floor of the building includes, in addition to a garage, art rooms and storage rooms. The entrance to the building is in a glass vestibule that also serves as an orange.
The house was finished with silicate plaster, and its colors matched the existing residential and farm buildings.
Difficult plot, with different level. The hall is on the first floor
The great difference in ground levels has led to an unusual situation in which today’s area is raised to the first floor level, which is an obstacle on the one hand, and on the other hand the project opens up new opportunities and relationships with the environment. The balcony suspended in the garden gives the opportunity to enjoy the views, and the separation of the daily area from the ground level increases the feeling of safety among the residents.
The building uses solutions and technologies that increase energy efficiency (recovery, Solar Panels, Floor heating, A fireplace with a water jacket, etc.), which makes the home almost passive after measuring the parameters of tightness and energy consumption.
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