Zorro, the injustice-fighting protagonist of Johnston McCulley's novel, whose trademark is a sword-cut letter Z, inspired architects from the Warsaw studio 81.WAW.PL to create a single-family house with an unusual shape. What trace of the masked Diego de la Vega left in this project? See for yourself!
The twenty-meter wide forest plot, on which the single-family house will be built, determined the unusual shape of the block. The architects "broke" the building in its central part (they also placed the staircase there) and glazed the walls in this place, providing light to the interior of the house. This procedure also made it possible to save several existing trees.
left: the shape of the block allowed for two triangular courtyards; right: the terrace by the living room
vision: Michal Nowak © 81.WAW.PL
Thanks to this, we obtained the shape of the house, which in the projection looks like the letter Z, and this, of course, is associated with Zorro," explains Anna Paszkowska-Grudziąż, an architect from the 81.WAW.PL studio. - The unusual sign placed in the form of a building perfectly blends into the existing tissue of the forest. The shape of the block allowed for two triangular courtyards, which additionally provide light and let nature into the central part of the house. The letter Z is no longer so obvious from a human perspective, as the house has been varied in height, he adds.
The zigzag-shaped building, the architect said, is formed by differentiated parts in terms of height - the lowest one is located at the front, the middle one has two stories, and the last, the highest one, is borne by an attic with an exit to the roof.
The 
The building is formed by parts differentiated by height
image: Michał Nowak © 81.WAW.PL
Like the letter Z, the layout of the first floor is composed - it begins with the front part with the garage and the main entrance, the middle part is marked by the entrance hall and anopen staircase surrounded by glass walls and a skylight in the roof, and the last, third part is the living area with a living room, dining room and kitchen glazed on two sides. The second floor houses the homeowners' private zones - three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study.
The light finish of the block stands out against the dark tree trunks, while the panoramic glazing invites the forest inside the house.
The 
panoramic glazing invites the forest inside the house
vision: Michał Nowak © 81.WAW.PL
The material we used for the facade is a long concrete tile from Milke in gray," says Rafał Grudziąż from the 81.WAW.PL studio. - Thanks to the natural color of the concrete, the building will not impose on its surroundings and will blend harmoniously into the atmosphere of the forest. The gray facade is complemented by elements of black burnt board. Protected from the weather in this unusual way, it will not cause problems in operation, the architect argues.
TheZorro House is another project of the Warsaw office, in which the guiding inspiration influences the final shape of the block - the architects have to their credit, among others, the Wavy House, the Holey House, the Triangle House and the Field House, recognized as the best single-family residential building by the jury of the 2019 SARP Year Award, among others.
