1 minute read
Car park
from Built to Inspire
Full-height glazing at the ground level allows views through the house. By way of contrast, the upper level is fully opaque in this image. As the name implies, this project is unusual in that it is based on a garden that was being developed by a Japanese landscape designer. The architect, Robert Konieczny simply had to make the house fit into the space allowed. Administrative and other delays held up the project for which discussions began in 2008. The architect states, “The client, who is a nature lover, changed a fallow site into a beautiful green oasis with a lake and stone-paved road, softly leading to the place where the house was supposed to be built. The curving path, where he liked to walk, became an inspiration for us. The ground floor of the dwelling together with its living zones, is the continuation of the path, gently responding to the context. This impression is complemented by the use of gray concrete, referring to the color of the road.” The concrete house has a monolithic free-form, a 11,302-square-foot (1,050-square-meter) ground floor, and a square 10,225-square-foot (950-square-meter) first floor. The size of the ground floor is related to the client’s desire to show art and to host openings with numerous guests. The garden flows into the house at ground level, with a large “atrium” on the first floor creating a partial internal courtyard. The garden in the atrium area was carefully preserved from the original design, and a pond crosses the threshold from the exterior to this inner space. Ground-level walls have full height and curved glazing. The upper floor is finished in white plaster. Shutters on the southern and western sides of the house are finished in the same plaster, creating a “white minimalistic solid mass.” The ground-floor roofs are planted, increasing the impression of continuity with the garden. Konieczny explains, “It was also a big challenge to design this house in such a way that, despite its large surface, it is very easy to use. Everything is convenient and close.”
