Project: Industrial House
Architects: archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz
Location: Mikolow, Poland
Area: 3,067 sf
Year: 2022
Photographs by: Adam Miozga
Industrial House by archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz
The Industrial House, designed by archistudio studniarek + pilinkiewicz in Mikolow, Poland, presents a contemporary take on the traditional barn aesthetic with industrial accents. Drawing inspiration from the region’s industrial heritage, the one-story residence features an elongated form with a double shed roof reminiscent of factory buildings. The red brick façade creates a modern sculpture, while the interior maintains the industrial theme with cohesive finishing materials and equipment. The house’s composition includes a spacious living room, dining area, bedrooms, garage, utility room, and a kitchen connected to a covered terrace. With its industrial charm and contemporary design, the Industrial House stands out as a striking architectural statement.
The house was intended to be a contemporary barn with industrial accents. Yet another modern barn? Such a solution could correspond with the originally rural landscape of Silesia. But we proposed the type of architecture directly referencing the industrial, more characteristic, contemporary heritage of the region. The one-story, elongated body of the building, covered with a double shed roof, referring to the factory buildings of which there are many in Silesia, with a red brick façade, created a contemporary sculpture with unambiguous connotations.
The horizontal house structure is located in line with the surrounding development, along the access road, on a narrow plot in an east-west layout. The terrain slopes towards the east, causing the building to overhang above the terrain in that area. The composition of the building is comprised of two parts, the dominant residential part with a single-space, high-ceilinged living room, dining room, and entresol as well as bedrooms overhanging the existing terrain. The second, smaller part houses the garage, utility room, and also kitchen, connected to the large, covered terrace and outdoor living room with a kitchen.
The external terrace, located on the southwest side, makes a gap in the building structure created by pushing the glazing deep from the surface of the façade. The perforated elements of the outer walls, finished with clinker brick, further enhance the façade. The uniform brick texture of the southern recess in the façade, in the form of an overhang and terrace, emphasizes the fluid transitions between the exterior and interior of the building. The north and east façades are more subdued and at first glance seem to be designed without any windows. The only clearly visible opening is the entrance to the building. The windows facing north are made with brick perforation.
The industrial composition is reflected both in the form and in the finishing materials for the exterior and interior of the building. Red brick, black panels concealing the garage door, and black aluminum windows correspond with the interior finishing elements and equipment, all maintained in the same character.
