DOM KADR no.2

DOM ARCHITEKTÓW - Project - DOM KADR no.2 on Brodnica Landscape Park, Poland

DOM KADR no.2 (the VIEW HOUSE) project was designed and has been built by architects Emilia Durka-Zielińska & Walenty Durka owners of the manufacture DOM ARCHITEKTÓW.

This house has been designed and built for two people in Brodnica Landscape Park. This uncommon place is located in the Valley of Drwęca River by the gate of Great Masuria Lakes in Poland. An advantage of this area is a wonderful, wild landscape of the river which opens up to excellent view from the house. The distance from Brodnica city is around 15 kilometres long (where the client working) , so the territory features a harmonious combination of the advantages of the city infrastructure and the wild river valley. The house is located in a landscape park far from neighbours. The land plot is perfectly oriented in terms of cardinal points (north-south) to use passive sun sources for the house, with the view of the river facing the south. We have done thermal calculations (PHPP) and we balanced loss of boundaries thickness /Passive solar heating is used in conjunction with passive shading, which allows maximum winter solar gain and prevents summer overheating. This is most simply achieved with southerly orientation of appropriate areas of glass and well-designed eaves overhangs/ .

Our propose to the client was our wooden prefab modular house in ultra high efficiency standard. This dwelling combines the simplicity and quality of prefabricated construction, with the beauty and integrity of an aesthetic object. The serenity o the linear and clean structures contrast and complements the subtle variations of the wood. The building possesses both subtle charm. While the surfaces and lines of the building are unflinching elevation changing own colour, wood inside evolves each day with the changing light. Inside we have also beautiful the sun rays and shadows playing across the surfaces.
We translated as usually in our projects ecological and functional promises into architecture. Health of residents, high-end quality, ecology and favorable microclimate offered by wood became top priority.

The whole construction and interior are built from wood used in a modern way. We use solid wood for innovative construction frame-cages (SOLID WOOD MODULE) and 3-PLY wood panels for interiors. The natural properties of pressure dried and planed timber provide resistance to moisture, decay and insect damage. Wall barriers are characterised by high thermal capacity and open for diffusion of water vapor. Thanks to that, humidity regulates in a natural way, creating positive micro-climate at home. The house ‘breaths’ with inhabitants. We use only ecological, healthy products so our main product is wood and wooden materials. We pay attention to use only certified materials. All finishing materials are also natural. The results of handcrafting is in high standard of our products.

We are pleased that our minimalistic in the form „polish barn” of simple and open plan with panoramic glass wall has gained the recognition of the Client, who made us confident and made our vision his plot of land. In other words, the compact, rectangular structure of the building is covered by gable roof.

We did not want to destroy the area.
The interference in the plot of land is minimal, because the house is transported in ready modules and mounted above the ground. We used innovative foundation system - screw-metal foots which can be remove with the building. The house was pre-build and transported to the land plot. The house is situated above the ground to secure wood construction and because of dangerous periodic flooding the area by the river. It also gives great widescreen view from all parts of the house.

The house is just 120 m2 but the open plan and glass facade make the house even bigger and lightsome. There is no boundaries between interior and exterior. The scale of houses is a very important „ecological” aspect, because most of them are too big in our times.

The main glass wall create a constant perception of changing distant nature.
Constantly creates new, interesting view.
The south view on the river valley is from every part of the house: the main bedroom, the bathroom, the living room with the kitchen, the office room and terraces.
At the north facade we have main entrance and kitchen windows to put natural light to this site of the house. Kitchen windows’ view is on the private driveway to the house.
Using artificial lights in the house in minimal way is an evidence of ecological approach.
The main entrance, walk-in wardrobe, wardrobes, storage or laundry are on the north side overlooking the forest. All the rooms have an exit into the terraces with a build-in round plan fireplace.

The interior walls, doors, kitchen fronts, wardrobes with sliding doors are made of spruce wood. We hid crews using the 1200 wood pegs and saved by natural white paint where structure of the wood is visible. All the sliding doors, which are made of the same wood, are invisible and they open the interior space in a simple way. The wardrobes are built-in and other furniture is minimal. The colours are natural, neutral and unified. The paint on the walls itself gives the interior strong character and shows the travel passion of the owner.
Everything is simple and pure so it does not interfere the calm atmosphere at home. Although the wooden walls are white, they make the internal space warm and cozy. The glass facade invites nature inside. Everything creates an impression of minimalism and luxury.

The heart of the house is heating and ventilation system. We use heat pump air-air, recuperation, mechanical ventilation and electrical system of floor heating. Our innovative system of air depressurization and our authors details of air supply makes the ventilation soundless and windless. Because of the hand made wooden air supply the system of ventilation is invisible in the interior design.
The other smart concept is radio control switches, which the client can adjust according to own fancy. In the building and outside we used LED lighting and „smart home system” ( protection of the house). Electrical installation is also prepared to use exterior emergency power.

While selecting the facade, we choose a materials and colours not to compete with surrounding nature. We used colours which help to hide the house in the landscape. The facade should also be maintenance-free. The finishing of black metal panels, painted-free thermo wood elements and terraces make the building invisible on the forest wall. We focused on the details, for instance, a hidden gate and doors to the exterior storage which is the slide part of metal front wall.

The extended south roof helps regulate the microclimate inside and protects the room from the direct sunlight or rain. The extended north roof protects from the rain where we have a walkway from the garage to the main entrance. Under the roof construction we have placed exterior storages for: bikes, garden furniture, garden equipment and kayaks or garage stuff.
The floor of the garage and walkway to the house is made of grating metal and is placed above the ground, so the garage floor has natural ventilation and pollution from car wheels or snow.

The opinion is still widely that prefabricated housing is a cheap, not beauty, make-do alternative to serious buildings construction. We hope that by this realization and our others we show how outdated that image is and that modular prefab buildings can be full-value and beauty.
Our authors conception of open „wooden cage” (BSH wood, CNC machining ) give us full opened and don’t disturb by any construction elements space. Our cage as a scalable element allows us to make buildings from 20 to 200 and even more metres square. Start from one module recreation or work spaces through full scale living homes to big buildings of many different functions.
Our module buildings can be individual personalised by adding modules or to switch them.
Ready building client can enlarge in time by ordering new modules. Ready building we can also rebuild by changing interior walls. What is were interesting our module building we can disconnect and move to new place.
The attractive of prefabrication show us more often appearing realisations in the world.
Sustainable development, nature protection, human healthy is our basic guideline/mission.
So that we use easy to recycle materials and we care about „carbon foot print” in whole life of our houses. We put buildings slightly above the ground because they should
to establish a dialogue with the nature and do not be dominated.
We implement quite new solutions, we come back to „old materials” like wood to use them in other, modern way. We always provide maximum for clients benefits in full-controlled prefabrication and price controlled. We think that it is quite new way of thinking about the „living” for our times, in harmony with nature.

We gave our client a house which is healthy, ecological and simple to maintain. Beautiful views and incredible sensation inside the house was unimaginable for the owner. He said: I did not even dreamed of it. He agreed with us that his fears about prefabrication was unreasonable. Full-opened cooperation between us by this Project is resulted by beautiful building. With big respect we put the building into the wild area. He stands there very quietly, unnoticed. which confirm wild animals and birds. The live there together with beautiful integration.

Gross Built Area (square meters or square foot): 117,9 m2
Building Area : 214,7 m2
Additional Surfaces: 71,5 m2 / carport + exterior storages /
With of the building: 25 m / with carport /
Length of the building: 11 m
Interior high: 2,6 m

Construction: CLT spruce wood, prefabrication in wood modules (authors SOLID WOOD MODULE SYSTEM)
Heat system: Heat pump air-air with recuperation, electrical floor heating system
Ventilation system: Mechanical ventilation with authors system of air expansion
Lighting: LED
Water saving: Electrical water heaters with electronically control, saving water faucet
Partition walls: in passive standard, 40 cm thickness, wood wool
Interior finishing walls, ceiling, doors : 3-PLY wood panels, spruce wood
Fundations: steel foots
Materials: natural (organic), ecological with certificate

Project name: DOM KADR no.2
Architect' Firm: DOM ARCHITEKTÓW
Prefab: DOM ARCHITEKTÓW inż. arch.Walenty Durka, inż. arch.Emilia Durka-Zielińska
Lead Architects: inż. arch. Walenty Durka, inż. arch. Emilia Durka-Zielińska
Plan author: DOM ARCHITEKTÓW inż. arch. Walenty Durka, inż. arch. Emilia Durka-Zielińska

Other participants:
Construction project: inż. arch. Walenty Durka
Installactions : inż. arch. Walenty Durka

Website: www.domarchitektow.pl
e-mail: [email protected]
Photo: Jakub Certowicz
Building owner : private
Project location: Świecie, Brodnicki Park Krajobrazowy
Completion Year: 2017 r.