Slavic House is another Polish House by BXB Studio. The philosophy of this house makes us owners and inhabitants of Planet Earth, not just the living space offered by even the most luxurious building. We achieved this by shaping the architecture appropriately and selecting innovative, carefully chosen technologies.
“The idea for the Slavic House arose during my stay at the Slavic and Viking Center in Wolin. Being in the open-air museum, we feel very clearly that our Slavic ancestors, residents of these incredibly simple and beautiful architectural forms, were primarily owners of picturesque outdoor spaces that provided them with a connection to the landscape. They became, in a way, part of a natural ecosystem where a significant part of their daily activities took place. With this intention, I designed the Slavic House – which creates conditions for living outdoors, in close connection with the surrounding nature.”
– Bogusław Barnaś
The philosophy of this house makes us owners and inhabitants of Planet Earth, not just the living space offered by even the most luxurious building. We achieved this by shaping the architecture appropriately and selecting innovative, carefully chosen technologies.
The ground floor of the house forms a strongly glazed living space enveloped in a canopy that allows free communication around the building on rainy, winter, or hot days. We also designed a covered terrace, which is an extension of the well-sunlit, two-level daytime zone. The external terrace has the ability to adjust the opening of the roof and external walls thanks to the use of intelligent pergolas. It opens completely to the sky, sun, stars, the breeze of the wind, the singing of birds and cicadas, and the surrounding nature. The terrace space, limited only by the sky, is equipped with an outdoor kitchen, stylistically integrated with the internal kitchen. This design allows for the use of outdoor space even on cool, windy, and rainy days, providing a sense of unlimited space, independent of the size of the house and the plot.
The architecture of the house is formed by durable and well-aging materials. The roof is covered with an innovative, unprecedented solution in construction designed by GALECO – a Polish manufacturer of gutter and roof systems. It is an integrated DACHRYNNA roof system that connects the roof in the form of a “click” roof panel with a gutter system hidden in the roof surface and the building’s facade.
DACHRYNNA is a response to market needs related to the lack of 2-in-1 system solutions and the growing popularity of modern architectural designs, characterized by minimalism and attention to every detail. The idea that guided GALECO engineers in the process of designing the DACHRYNNA system was to aestheticize the Polish landscape by getting rid of visible elements.
The Slavic House became the first project to include DACHRYNNA in the eaves version, which is now fully available on the construction market for a wide range of investors.
The elevations of the house are covered with two types of wood: light natural, non-impregnated, naturally weathering boards visible from the inside of the house, and visible only from the outside, burnt black boards. The burned surface is more resistant to moisture, insects, fungi, and decay. This allows wood to serve as a durable cladding for many years. It also does not require frequent painting or maintenance, significantly reducing the building’s maintenance costs. It is environmentally friendly as it does not require the use of chemical wood protection agents.
Slavic House is characterized by a very simple and clear functional and structural layout, reminiscent of the traditional layout of the first Slavic houses. The ground floor forms the daily living space, while the first floor houses private rooms. The basement level contains auxiliary functions such as a spa, gym, guest, and event space.
Slavic House
Project: BXB Studio by Bogusław Barnaś
Team: Bogusław Barnaś, Justyna Duszyńska-Krawczyk, Urszula Furmanik, Bartłomiej Szewczyk, Aleksandra Gawron, Bartłomiej Mierczak, Magdalena Fuchs, Marcin Owczarek, Katarzyna Trzepałka, Aleksandra Parchem
Graphics and photographs: BXB studio
Category: Single-Family House
Ground Floor and Attic Area: approx. 260 sqm
Location: Krakow, Poland
Year: 2020-2023
Client: Private