Featured Project
Villa on the edge of an abyss
The site in a high-end district of Krakow is truly picturesque, but was a challenge to build on. Because the eight-meter-high lip of a quarry cuts straight across the parcel of land. Added to which, building regulations require that every new build in this quarter have a pitched roof.
The owner had to search long and hard for an architect who could table a persuasive design for this difficult task. And it was not until he saw the project proposal by Przemysław Olczak from the internationally renowned architectural office of Mobius that he was truly convinced. Olczak’s idea: The villa floats as it were above the abyss. On the valley side, the building resembles a kind of A-frame house. The slate-clad roof surface, into which windows and loggias have been cut, juts out over the steep side of the quarry. On the slope side, the villa is a little less extravagant and resembles a spacious house with a pitched roof and any number of panorama windows.
For the interior, the developer likewise expected only the best designs and technology. Which is why together with the architect he choose Gira’s “Esprit” switch set. “Esprit” stands out for its clear design lines and the fact that you can combine different materials for the switches.
By contrast, the second Gira product used is as good as invisible: the KNX standard building controls, the central element of which is the “Gira HomeServer”, which functions as the system’s “brain”; it is here that all the information comes together and is assessed. And it is here that the logical commands get sent to all the components connected to the system. Gira touch sensors are located in every room to facilitate use of the system. The key advantage: Should the inhabitants want at some future point to add other functions these can be integrated without any construction work being required. The villa in Krakow is thus an intelligent building in far more than one respect – as it makes optimal use of all the possibilities available. (fap)
