WROCŁAW – Grid Architects recently completed a contemporary country house in Wrocław, Poland.
The designers say the house is ‘a reflection of the simplicity and beauty of pre-war architecture’ that strikes an equilibrium ‘between traditional form and contemporary details’. An elegant balance is maintained between low-cost design and neat finishes.
Traditional materials – wood and render – were used to ‘give the architecture a more ‘local’ character’. Plaster was not used on construction walls and wooden rafters are left exposed. Simple geometric forms combine with high contrast materials.
Minimal interventions are used to produce high visual impact in this ‘low-budget Do-It-Yourself’ project where construction professionals were only called in for structural work.
The shape of the building echoes traditional farmhouse forms, but is updated with contemporary details. The height of the gable roof is emphasised by a tall, thin chimney, window and light fixture. The house has subtle design elements and is well integrated into its context.
Both the black-painted exterior timber and whitewashed wood on the interior warm the austere forms of the building. A wooden deck flows from the façade to the ground in one stroke. A workspace with a separate entrance connects to the main house through a terrace which creates a private backyard.
This is ‘a simple house that does not interfere with the surroundings, it creates a background, it is an ordering element which improves the landscape’. The shape of the building – like its interior – is modest and modern.
Photos courtesy of Grid Architects
