The design of the House with Two Ridges in Konstancin, near Warsaw, was an interesting challenge for architects from Z3Z Architekci studio. The lump of the building results strictly from the conditions of the plot which awaited the architects when they faced the task of designing the house. Its unusual shape is the result of reconciling the requirements of the local plan with the expectations of the investors.
The local development plan imposed a specific condition for narrow plots. For the plot, which is about 19m wide, the condition was the use of double or multi-pitched roofs with a fairly high angle of inclination. An additional complication was the need for a roof with a ridge that had to face parallel to the road. If a small house of about 100m2 was to be built on the plot, the provisions of the Local Development Plan would not be so challenging, but the other parameters of the plan allowed for the construction of a rather large house - more than 200m2. A conflict of elements arose that could not be combined using standard solutions. A roof with its ridge parallel to the road, i.e. with a maximum length of 13m, would not be able to cover a house of over 200m2. The matter was solved by using two ridges, i.e. two roofs parallel to the road. A provision in the local plan defined the house.
The shape of the house's floor plan also strictly follows function. The house fills the entire width of the plot from the front and in the further part it narrows to provide access to the garage and maneuvering in front of it. The front of the house, which is the elevation from the street, is also the garden elevation. The plot imposed a lot of specific constraints on the architects, which ultimately made it possible to arrive at unusual solutions.
An additional challenge turned out to be the small house located in the back of the plot, which, as it turned out, shared a wall with the neighbor's house. The old house and the neighbor in the sharp boundary only reassured the architects in their assumptions that the utility rooms should be located in the rear part of the plot despite the fact that it was the southwest side.
The front part of the house and the terrace overlook the beautiful ponds and the river valley. A natural, protected landscape that will never be developed. This beautiful view is not disturbed by the road, which is very narrow and impassable in the further part. It only provides access to several plots of land. A treatment to give privacy to the living area exposed to the road was to raise the house and terrace so that passersby are lower than the living room floor. This was also helped by the terrain, which slopes down toward the ponds and the road.
The facade of the house is covered with fiber cement board, HPL panels and silicone plaster.
The interior of the house was also designed by Z3Z Architects. The investor wanted a rather raw loft interior, but at the same time warmed by wood and brick. The concrete on the ceiling was obtained from the formwork of the ceiling and passed the test perfectly in the interiors of the living area.
