During the first meeting, the client talked about how much he liked modern houses from the southern part of California. Horizontal villas with large glazing, full of light and with flat roofs... The problem was that the plot was only fit for development in a small fragment, and to fit the whole program, it was necessary to build upwards. Three storeys need to be built. It was not possible to achieve a horizontal, single-story form. In addition, the local building code forced a pitched roof design. It was not the client's dream.
To visually break the height of the structure it was divided into layers: corten - plaster - corten. As in a layer cake: sponge - cream - sponge. This explains the name – layer cake house. Horizontal lines are also exaggerated by the terrace outside overhangs and the diagonal frame, which is additionally designed to support the canopy. Most of the building is covered with terraces that go down storey by storey to the ground floor. This allowed to minimize the pitched roof area and still be in compliance with the local building law regulations. The last storey has been moved to the back part of the building. This design trick causes the building to gradually increase in height and slowly reveal its dimensions from the entrance to the back part.
The house could only be located in the northeastern part of the plot. This also was the building code requirement. The plot is the last one at the dead-end street. The building becomes a garden gate and guarantees residents great privacy. House location also made it possible to open the interior to the most valuable part of the garden. The west window is almost 6m high. The master bedroom is located in the glass corner, on the second floor and although it is located on the building's east side, i.e. the driveway, it also guarantees a sense of privacy. The windows have been pulled back and the terraces extended beyond the ground floor plan, so all you can see from the street is the ceiling.
The house was built with mixed technology. The first two storeys are made of reinforced concrete and brick, there are also steel elements. The attic was made of a wooden skeleton, which allowed for an increase in the usable space on this floor.
The façade of the house and its roof are covered with corten - carbon steel panels, which rust quite quickly. Rust is a decorative and protective layer. This process is self-limiting, the layer of patina that has already formed prevents metal from further corrosion.
The building is divided into three parts: garage/technical, day and night. On the ground floor, there is a garage, an almost 6m high living room, a guest room and a bathroom. On the first floor, there are bedrooms and bathrooms. In the attic, there is another guest room, a study and a recreation area.
Project Name: Layer Cake House
Architecture Office Name: Superhelix Pracownia Projektowa
Office Website: superhelix.pl
Contact email: bartek@superhelix.pl
Completion Year: 2022
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 242 m2/2604 ft2
Project Location: Kraków, Poland
Lead Architects: Bartłomiej Drabik
Photo Credits: Bartłomiej Drabik
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