Gaining popularity, modern mirror houses or pavilions create a unique effect of permeating space and floating objects in the air by reflecting their surroundings. However, are trendy mirror houses really made of mirrors?
When designing houses, it's not just about their functionality, but also about whether they appeal to customers' tastes or surprise them. For investors who are not looking for cliché solutions, Marcin Tomaszewski, creative director of REFORM Architekt, has created an innovative concept of mirror houses, which perfectly fit into the surroundings and sometimes even merge with them into a single whole. The strength of this idea is that it can take on many guises. Tomaszewski has designed several such houses so far - each differs in both massing and the location of the mirrored elements on the facade.
© REFORM Architect
Mirrored houses are actually endless possibilities. So far, every mirror house I have designed is different. One design is a mirror house in its entirety, another is only half mirrored, as the facade is covered with material only on the first floor. Still another, on the other hand, looks as if it were two separate houses, only up close you can see that this solution was applied in the middle," says architect Marcin Tomaszewski, creative director of REFORM Architekt.
What exactly are mirror houses? This term is used to describe houses of traditional construction, the external facade of which is finished with a material that imitates a mirror.
In the projects I use alucobond - an aluminum composite panel, consisting of two external aluminum sheets, filled with a mineral core. Such a board can have mirror-like properties or remain neutral in color," adds Marcin Tomaszewski.
location matters
The plot of the house to be designed, as a mirror house, should be located in a place where an even reflection is possible. When designing mirrored houses, a uniform landscape is taken into account, which will reflect perfectly in the material - exactly as in a mirror.
© REFORM Architect
The city center will not be suitable for this, due to the surrounding buildings. The forest landscape is made for this and is most impressive in this type of realization. The location of the plot mainly determines whether the house will be designed in a mirrored way, Tomaszewski stresses.
A project full of advantages?
There is no doubt that the effect of a mirrored house is impressive. However, is such a designed block functional? Much depends on the material that will be used to finish the building. The alucobond mentioned by the architect is a hard and extremely durable aluminum coating, which can be used to clad the entire house or a section of it. Used to finish the exterior facade, it makes it unnecessary to renew or refresh it. And if necessary - it is enough to wash the surfaces with clean water.
One of the major concerns raised by this type of solution is the danger that glass facades can pose to birds.
Most of the buildings under construction in the world, including office buildings, pose a threat to birds. Working with our clients, we always make them aware of the downsides of such a solution. Many of them decide to implement the project, consciously, of course. A good practice is to stick the markings on the windows. We already leave this option to our customers. In the case of wild animals - our recommendation is a strong fence, which is also safe for residents," emphasizes Marcin Tomaszewski.
