In Karpacz, Poland, twin apartment structures are located on a 3670 square meter plot in the Wolf clearing district, a popular tourist destination in the mountains. The first apartment building is 336 square meters and contains eight independent apartments while the second volume is 565 square meters and contains seven apartments as well as an underground garage. Designed by Studio de materia, a key design concept was the use of high-quality, low-maintenance materials.
Drawing from the historic architecture of regional wooden mountain shelters and houses from the 19th and early 20th century, the scheme is respectful to its material heritage. A stone plinth forms the base of each apartment and the modern volumes above clad exposed half-timbered construction above. Gable ends are covered with wooden boards and roofs are clad with shingles.
A logical base for the lighter wooden frame above, the solid stone plinth is was hand-formed piece by piece. Large format glazing above exposes the internal wooden structure, which resembles a half-timbered type construction in composition. The glazing of the gable walls is covered with vertical fins in reference to traditional wooden gables of the region.
Both the upper floor facades and the roof are clad with the same material – pine thermowood. Wood, specifically pine plywood, is also the main material used inside the apartments with internal walls on the basement ad ground floor finished with concrete plaster
