This house in Poland by architect Robert Konieczny features a moving outdoor living space that pivots and docks with rooms on either side of the garden. KWK Promes’ most recent clients were after a new family home that would react to the movement of the sun. The architects’ solution was a static building with one ‘wing’ that pivots to track the sun’s progress across the sky.
The design comprises two primary volumes: a two-storey building, containing the home’s primary functions, positioned at a perpendicular angle to the street; and a single storey structure that runs parallel to the road.
The clients requested a flat-roofed house, but local planning regulations stipulated that a pitched roof was required to fit with the area’s vernacular. The architects were able to meet both requirements by creating a roof form that appears as a gable from the street, but tapers down to a flat edge when viewed from the garden.
KWK Promes’ design uses hinges and rails so that part of ‘quadrant house’ is able to rotate 90 degrees — creating a secluded garden at the rear of the property. This mobile terrace moves between a gym area, contained within the volume parallel to the street, and the living room which runs in the perpendicular direction. equipped with blinds, the mobile unit can be poisoned to protect the house from low sunlight and winds.
Conceived by Comstal, the system that moves the terrace is fully automated, but can also be controlled manually. The moving terrace follows a track set into the garden. Advanced safety sensors mean that if it encounters an obstacle, the terrace stops. Due to its continuous motion, natural grass is able to continue growing beneath the floor.
