Project: G19
Year: 2021
Stage: Completed
 

We are what we leave behind. Coming to the formed environment, we are faced with a dilemma – what to do with a worn-out urban network detail – replace it with a new one or an imitation, throw it away, or just leave it.

To keep what is old and original, with the lowest consumption of waste materials, without imitation of past original, but to keep authentic fragments, without destroying the visual image of the street was the main mission.

The redeveloped town house, built after the war, had to become a family home in a resort by the Baltic Sea. The task was for the construction process to leave as few traces as possible. It had to be energy efficient, all suitable materials had to be saved and used in the construction, the resulting waste had to be recycled, no concrete and only wood to be used for the main building and finishing material. Visual expression was also very important- to preserve the proportions of the building, its size, adapting to the scale of the surrounding buildings. However, the house was not supposed to be an imitation of what was built seven decades ago, but on the contrary- to reflect today's style, to be laconic, calm, without decorative elements, with a refined function adapted to the needs of the family. To emphasize the minimalistic volume, black wooden cladding was used. The former windows were lowered to the floor, and in the attic, they were combined into one continuous window, emphasizing slopes of the roof.

The building at the back of the yard was converted into a host’s studio. For the wholeness of the complex, the same facade finish was chosen.

For the surrounding, it was chosen not to use hard, concrete materials. Only wooden materials for the paths and pebbles for the parking area. Such a solution makes it possible for rainwater and melting snow to easily soak into the ground, and leaves more space for vegetation that keeps the yard fresh. The old fruit trees were also harmoniously integrated into the landscape and emphasised the ascetic architecture.

The most beautiful things, exposed original wooden walls, fragments of an old chimney and roof vaults, became the axis of the interior. The old original materials, used in the interior, became the main and only highlight of the interior.