BOX house

Kowanówko, Poland

Add To Collection

Other Projects by Prodom Architektura Konstrukcja

Add To Collection

Kowanówko House

BOX house

Kowanówko, Poland

Firm

Prodom Architektura Konstrukcja

Type

Residential › Private House

STATUS

Built

YEAR

2018

SIZE

0 sqft - 1000 sqft

BUDGET

$500K - 1M

Modular construction has been very popular in Poland for quite a long time for industrial facilities, however these days it is becoming more and more common to use it in the residential sector. Undoubtedly houses that consist of modules are more versatile, give freedom of arrangement, are mobile and quicker to implement. Although there are many modular projects available today on the market, investors seem to be not entirely comfortable with building a future home using steel modules. Perhaps the rather conservative and traditional approach remains too popular and is frequently encouraged rather than giving consideration to a different construction type.
Investors from Oborniki near Poznań (Poland) decided to challenge that approach. PRODOM Design Studio of Małgorzata Grabowska and Krzysztof Grabowski from Kowanówko near Oborniki were invited to collaborate in the implementation of a singular project.
The two-level, modern, state-of-the art project has been developed only with identical modules. During the design process one of the main assumptions was to get a maximum exposure from the modular technology and translate it into current trends in the construction industry. Consequently, the two-floor detached house was designed with a total of 216 SqM of usable floor area. It consists of 17 identical modules with dimensions of 3.00 x 6.00 m each, made of steel.
During the design phase particular emphasis was given to the versatility of the interiors, composition of layouts and to the volume formed by connection of the modular boxes. The idea was to divide the building into a common zone (located on the ground floor) and a private zone (located upstairs).
The first part has an entrance hall with an interacting open staircase, lobby, kitchen with storage and a spacious living room with a dining area. Additionally, the entrance hall gives access to two offices. Those spaces are located strategically to allow potential rearrangement for other use if needed in the future. A cloakroom, a restroom and technical rooms are located also near the entrance hall.
The private zone on the first floor of the house consists of a main bedroom with wardrobe, bathroom, laundry room, guest room and spacious lobby hallway with a leisure area. The idea of the designers was to give that part of the house a spectacular view to the garden from the living area through a double-height opening of the lobby to the living and dining room.
During the architecture and interior design phase, particular emphasis was placed on the universality of the spaces created by connection of the modular boxes. An extremely important and dominant element of the architectural composition of the building is the suspended balcony.
The balcony is actually one single module. It was delivered to the construction site as a prefabricated element, was assembled on-site and affixed to the other part of the structure. This easy design and construction operation makes the building more dynamic and shows that the configuration of modules and its functions can be shaped as desired.
The structural steel modules are enclosed by sheet panels with foam filling. This filling provides an excellent heat transfer coefficient to the project. In order to ensure proper ventilation, the building is air conditioned and has been equipped with mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. A dual-function gas boiler is used in the heating system.
The façade of the ground floor is covered by panels made from CORTEN. The upper façade and the suspended balcony are finished with matt white, fiber-cement boards.
The external entrance area has been designed as cascading terraces to give connection to the garden. Those different levels, an external stair around the house and a driveway are made of large, prefabricated concrete blocks simple to transport and install.
Undoubtedly we shall soon see whether the concept of steel structural boxes will be accepted by the public to become a permanent element in the Polish (and not only Polish) residential construction industry. Certainly the design and implementation of BOX_house proves that modular construction can be an excellent attractive alternative to traditional house technology.
Location: Kowanowko, Oborniki near Poznan, Poland
Category: Residential
Architecture: Małgorzata Grabowska, Marta Springer
Interior design: Wawrzyniec Polcyn
Engineering: Krzysztof Grabowski, Piotr Fait
Realization: M&W Construction
Area: 216 SqM
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Jeremi Buczkowski, Maciej Grześkowiak

Product Spec Sheet

Were your products used?

Join as a manufacturer to add your products.

Keep Exploring Architizer by Creating a Free Account or Logging in.

BOX house

Kowanówko, Poland

Other Projects by Prodom Architektura Konstrukcja

Kowanówko House

BOX house

Kowanówko, Poland

Product Spec Sheet

Collaborating Firms

Team

Articles