{"id":27362,"date":"2016-05-12T20:49:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-12T18:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/living-garden-house-in-katowice-2\/"},"modified":"2016-05-12T21:00:24","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T19:00:24","slug":"living-garden-house-in-katowice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/living-garden-house-in-katowice\/","title":{"rendered":"Living-garden house in Katowice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Living-Garden Home attempts at redefining the single-family house to integrate architecture with nature.\u00a0The classic household division into the living area, located in the ground floor and the sleeping area above\u00a0was transformed into new typology. During the day, we should be able to interact with the environment, with\u00a0the light, whereas in the night, we appreciate separation from the environment. Dichotomy is thus born: the ground floor opens up to the garden under the floor ledge, whereas the\u00a0first floor is more introvert. Living space merges with nature, glass partitions are the sole protection against\u00a0the weather. The floor extends the lawn by utilizing grass mimicking materials. The living room has become\u00a0the living-garden. We live in the garden during the day and enclose in the cocoon at night \u2013 an idea derived\u00a0from the past. Our ancestors would harvest food in daylight while sheltering in the trees at night. Living-Garden restores the original order.<\/p>\n

\"03_photo
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

The house was built in Katowice, Poland. The form and materials represent local traditions \u2013 of Silesian\u00a0worker settlements featuring red masonry walls and asphalt-lined gable roofs. Moreover, local plans\u00a0enforced traditional development, which was, however, ultimately transformed \u2013 to ensure maximum privacy,\u00a0the ground floor was set parallel to the road for the building to isolate the backyard garden from the road,\u00a0whereas the first floor was shifted at 90 degrees to overhang and penetrate the garden. The building has thus\u00a0acquired two faces. Street-side, it is enclosed, inaccessible, raising the comfort of its residents, guaranteeing\u00a0maximum intimacy. In turn, garden-side, it is full of glazed surfaces overlooking the environment. A living garden\u00a0is created under the ledge. On warm days, after removing the glass partitions, indoor space merges\u00a0with the garden, the flooring transforms into grass.\u00a0The magnificent ledge rests on two reinforced concrete walls covered with stainless steel to produce a\u00a0dematerializing effect. Indoor space penetrates the garden both physically and deceptively.
\nLiving-Garden is a green, A-energy class building. Perfectly insulated (thick walls, multilayer thermal glass),\u00a0the house does not require high energy for heating and remains cool in the summer. The ledge protects the\u00a0ground floor against overheating. Local materials were mainly used: brick from the brickyard nearby and\u00a0wood from the sawmill nearby.\u00a0With its structure, Living-Garden House enforces an environmentally friendly lifestyle \u2013 opening up to the\u00a0garden enforces coexistence with nature, subjecting to its rhythm.\u00a0Soon, the blend of architecture and the environment will be fuller: applying specific grass or moss types in\u00a0the living section will improve the internal microclimate, improve the quality of air, and, in result, create a healthier space for living. More ethereal membranes will ultimately cease to separate us from the world.\u00a0Houses will cease to interfere with the landscape.\u00a0Living-Garden House is a step towards this ideal. It makes the residents aware that they are a part of a\u00a0bigger ecosystem.<\/p>\n