This Polish House is at One With the Trees

When Warsaw architect, Jakub Szczesny, was commissioned to build a family home in the protected forest of Podkowa Lesna, he was challenged in his efforts to create a comfortable and alluring living space. Local ordinances required the many tall, skinny and tightly packed trees remain unharmed during this project and dictated what parts of the land could be used by Szczesny. To accomplish this task, the house was designed using a Voronoi diagram to help determine the best position for each room in the house.  In addition, a raised platform provides extra space for the roots of the trees to grow. To accommodate existing trees, there is a walled-in void made of glass in the center of the house connecting the outside environment with the indoor space.  “We knew that the trees gave the potential for a unique house entering in a relationship with its layout, giving an opportunity for trees to grow and creating specific framing of the trees from inside,” Szczesny told Dezeen Magazine. 

A Modern Look for an Outdated Roman Apartment

What good is an apartment in the center of Rome with a view of the Tiber River when it’s falling apart? Raffaella Guigni and her husband, Marco Ferrante, didn’t see an apartment in shambles, but rather a chance to create their dream home. Acquired from Guigni’s relatives in the 1990s, it was three separate apartments with uncomfortably small and mostly ruined rooms. Although the couple decided to tear down the interior walls to create a bigger living space, they restored and preserved the original ceiling frescoes and wooden ceiling beams. Those aspects that they didn’t find appealing were preserved and covered up behind a wall, should future owners ever wish to reveal them. In an effort to modernize the apartment, many of the wooden doors were replaced with new ones made solely of a sheet of glass on a hinge. As preservationists, Guigni and Ferrante have created a modern, yet comfortable living environment, while preserving the historical integrity of the apartment.

Not Your Average Childhood Treehouse

With sustainability and the green movement becoming more hip everyday, people have really begun to take notice of buildings and homes that are both architecturally innovative and environmentally sound. The Sustainability Treehouse, designed by Mithun and located in Glen Jean, West Virginia, blends right into its forest surroundings in the Summit Bechtel Reserve. With various outdoor platforms and stairways allowing for multiple views of the forest, the facility is interactive, while also capturing the essence and nostalgia of childhood. There are educational exhibits set up to help visitors understand the treehouse, as well as the ecosystem of its environment at each different level. However, what makes this building unique is that it “provides an armature for green building systems, such as photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, and a large cistern and water cleansing system,” explains Mithun’s website.

Polish Building Gains Fame for Its Crooked Appeal

Contrary to the traditional concept of line and design, the Krzywy Domek, considered the world’s most crooked house, has become a popular commercial space in Sopot, Poland. The designers, Polish architects Szotyscy & Zaleski, were inspired by the fairytale drawings of Jan Marcin Szcaner and Per Dahlberg. Completed in 2004, the space is predominantly used for business purposes, as well as rental space for commercial real estate companies. The Crooked House, as it’s also known, contains 43,000 square feet of architectural wonder, including warped walls and windows, concave roofs and glass giving off the appearance of a funhouse mirror. This building is an example of modern technology meeting architectural design with the use of CAD software to create the house’s drawings and construction plans. When viewing the building, one can’t help but see the similarities between the work of Szotyscy & Zaleski and Antoni Gaudi.

The Allegro Combines Aid and Beauty

The architectural innovation of the Allegro in Stuart, FL is helping seniors age in style. With a stunning design concept, this 200,000 square foot assisted living center, located on 10 acres, has the look and feel of a luxury hotel. While it may give off an upscale vibe, the Allegro is fully equipped for independent living, assisted living and memory care. Not only are the residents given the full functionality of a typical senior living community, but also there is the added bonus of an active lifestyle that most assisted living facilities cannot offer. With “cruise ship” amenities, such as fine dining, concierge services, a spa and more, the Allegro is the perfect blend of architectural creativity and functional living.

A New Take on a House With Ocean Views

Australian design firm, Modscape, is giving a whole new meaning to the term ocean front property with its innovative design of “The Cliff House.” This home is designed with the intent of using a cliff for the foundation of a home hanging precariously over the water. Although not yet a reality, the renderings of the house detail four stories of living space, in addition to a fifth floor carport. “The design is a theoretical response to clients who have approached Modscape to explore design options for extreme parcels of coastal land in Australia,” Modscape’s website explains. Suspended over the water, the firm sees the house as an extension of the cliff and was “inspired by the way barnacles cling to the hull of a ship.”