On an elongated plot less than 16 metres wide, right next to the winding Jeziorka River, architect Paweł Lis designed a house that responds to the problem of limited space in a particularly conscious way. Willa Meander in Konstancin-Jeziorna, as the building is called, combines a clear, white structure with subtle curves reminiscent of modernist designs from the first half of the 20th century.
The decision to place the house just 1.5 metres from the plot boundary allowed the entrance to be located in the central part of the ground floor. As a result, the living area gained full lighting, and the functional layout could be designed to meet the residents’ expectations.
The ground floor features a living room connected to a dining room and an open kitchen, as well as a double garage, which, despite the limited width of the plot, did not require sacrificing any living space. The first floor features a master bedroom with a private bathroom and wardrobe, children’s rooms and a study. The bedroom opens onto a spacious wooden terrace, suspended above the garden like a peaceful extension of the interior. It is the sculptural nature of this part of the building that brings to mind the iconic buildings of modernism.
A characteristic feature of Villa Meander are the rounded roof panels floating above the ground floor and first floor on the garden side. Their soft geometry corresponds to the line of the Jeziorka River and at the same time organises the composition of the building. A similar technique was used at the front, where part of the first floor was extended above the entrance and supported by a V-shaped column — a structural solution that gives the building lightness and expressiveness.
The façade is finished with ivory-coloured clinker tiles laid in vertical strips. This method of bonding emphasises the undulating line of the walls and at the same time gives the whole an elegant, orderly structure. The minimalist colour scheme and restrained details reinforce the modernist character of the house without being overly literal.
The design was created with a contemporary family of two in mind, but energy efficiency was an equally important consideration. Windows with enhanced thermal parameters were used, based on aluminium profiles with triple glazing, as well as PIR insulation boards with a thermal conductivity coefficient of Lambda 0.022 W/(mK)
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. The installation of joinery in the façade, recuperation, a prepared space for a photovoltaic installation and the possibility of collecting rainwater in retention tanks create a coherent set of solutions in line with the principles of sustainable design.
And how else does Paweł Lis design? You can read our interview with the architect HERE.
design: PAWEL LISARCHITEKCI
collaboration: Piotr Gasparski
photos: Oskar Tuszyński
Read also: Single-family house | Villas and residences | Modernism | Detail | Minimalism | whiteMAD on Instagram
