In Orłowo, which is a seaside district of Gdynia, where modernist buildings create a characteristic rhythm of the streets, a new house designed by the IFAgroup studio stood. The building’s simple form alludes to the city’s post-war architecture, while emphasising its contemporary character. The building fits skilfully into the existing surroundings and retains the local spirit of history, adding a fresh, modern quality.
The new building was constructed on the site of an earlier 1950s building and its form recreates the original shape of the former block. The window layout has also been retained, but the design has been enhanced with contemporary touches in the form of smooth panes of glass that emphasise the continuity of history. They provide more light to the interiors, and the appropriate positioning of the glazing allows the residents’ privacy to be maintained.
The house is designed as a minimalist block without unnecessary details. The architects treated it like a sculpture, with architectural concrete as the dominant material. Its natural colour is reflected in the façade, while technical elements such as gutters or the garage door are carefully hidden in the building’s facades. The living room has a view of the garden and light enters the room both from above and from the greenery, which gives the room an unusually cosy feeling.
The structure of the house has been shaped with a slight stepback. The front part of the ground floor is raised to allow access to the garage, while the rear part opens directly onto the garden. The interiors are decorated with paintings by Gregory Worpus and natural wood furniture, which brings a warm and welcoming character to the building space.
The new house in Gdynia – Orłowo is an extension of an earlier IFAgroup realisation from 2018, located next door. We wrote about it HERE. The two buildings differ in their details, but together they form a unity that carries on a skilful dialogue with the historic buildings of the modernist street.
Project: IFAgroup
Team: Kamil Domachowski, Karolina Wood-Domachowska, Maciej Busch, Magdalena Klimowicz, Adrianna Jemioł, Jakub Brzuchański, Julia Selimova
Photography: Tomo Yarmush; styling: Anna Sanetra
Images: Grzegorz Worpus
Area: 240 sq.m.
Location: Gdynia, Poland
Year: 2024
Read also: Concrete | Modernism | Single-family house | Gdynia | Interiors | whiteMAD on Instagram
