A single-family house by FAAR architects has been erected in Lanckorona, a village in southern Poland known to lovers of the Wooden Architecture Route. The Black Pearl refers in scale, form and detail to the traditional 19th-century wooden architecture of the region. The building, the authors say, was created out of reflection on the surroundings and is an attempt to answer the question of how a new living space can be designed in the long-defined landscape of the Malopolska countryside.
Black Pearl is a one-story single-family house
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architekci
Anyone who has visited Lanckorona has probably seen a picturesque market square with wooden buildings with traditional overhangs. When designing the Black Pearl, we wanted to strike the perfect balance between being inspired by Lanckorona's buildings and not being too literal. We wanted all the influences of tradition to be visible, but already in a new form that was created here and now," says architect Krzysztof Faber.
The house was made with a wooden structure
© FAAR Architects
The black pearl of Lanckorona
The house by FAAR architects was designed on a rectangular plan, and has an approximate area of 133 square meters. Black Pearl is a timber-framed building with wood finishes, one-story and without basement.
Black Pearl with a reinforced concrete foundation
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architects
The architects highlighted a reinforced concrete foundation clad in stone, and a gabled roof with a 30-degree pitch covered with flat sheet metal is also a characteristic element. The wooden exterior boards on the facade were painted with an eco-friendly varnish with wax. The interior is dominated by wood and ceramic tiles. The first floor is occupied by living and utility rooms - a living room with a dining room, bedrooms, work rooms, a hallway, a bathroom and a technical room with a gas boiler.
The house was covered with ecological varnish with wax additives
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architekci
Together with the investors, we decided that the house would be "black in every detail". After numerous tests of materials, we determined the color of the exterior, which would eventually contrast with the color of the natural planking inside the building. This idea worked well, and the house, despite its oblong shape, blends well with the surrounding nature at any time of the year," adds Krzysztof Faber.
The house stood on a steep plot
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architekci
steep plot
A considerable challenge for the architects turned out to be the steep slope of the site. A special concrete step was poured for the safe foundation of the building, which was initially planned to be used for the location of rooms sunk into the slope of the plot, but due to limited budget the idea was not realized.
The heavily black facade of the house
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architekci
From the very beginning, FAAR architects cooperated with a frame house contractor, thanks to which the realization of the Black Pearl took place without any changes to the design.
We have been erecting similar houses for years, but this was our first project in the style of a modern barn, which, after implementation, is already very popular among new investors," says Tomasz Pytel, owner of Skorpion timber houses.
The house fits the trend of the modern barn
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architekci
black modern barn
With its simple, oblong and minimalist form, Black Pearl fits into the popular trend of modern barn-style houses. The windows of the living room, two bedrooms and the studio face south. Behind them is a beautiful view of the nearby Lanckorona hills.
The view from the living room over the Lanckorona landscape
Photo: Krzysztof Faber, Iza Faber © FAAR Architects
The large window in the living room creates a "living picture" that changes with the environment and the changing seasons.
Black Pearl is my honest architectural statement about a "simple" house," Krzysztof Faber concludes.
Read also about another house in Lanckorona - Malopolska Podcieniowa Cottage by BXBstudio Boguslaw Barnaś.
