Situated in the Sudetan Mountains, a beautiful region in the South-West of Poland, this small house is a social, technological and spacial experiment. The main goal was to raise general knowledge about natural architecture. The final effect is a 35 sqm house made of local, natural materials such as wood, straw, hemp, clay, stone.

The project’s social dimension was very important. The constructions was partially founded by a crowdfunding campaign which also helped to form a community of young, energetic people actively engaged in the process. The design and building process will be open-source.

We aimed at designing a clear yet interesting modern form that would emphesize the use of natural materials and would be easy to build. The house can be comfortably used by two people, all year long. It grants incredible views and at the same time provides privacy.

The house has a light wooden structure atop massive stone fundations. The walls are filled with compressed straw bales, which provide very good insulation. The floor is insulated with hempcrete. Roof insulation is made of wood fibre mats. Most of the furniture is handmade. Even bathroom tiles were prepared by us in a local ceramic workshop.

The construction was lead in the form of workshops. This way more than 80 people had a chance to participate and get to know natural building techniques. However it was not only about learning, but also about creating and enjoying time spent together working, cooking, eating, sharing daily rituals. The whole process was in accordance with nature and ecology. Even the food and cosmetics that we used were ecological and organic. Only local service providers were employed to do the tasks that were too complex for the volunteers.

We hope that our project will prove that natural architecture can not only be healthy, ethical and ecological, but also modern and comfortable.

with Weronika Siwiec

look!

 

the process:

 

the design: