lines of fire, lines of water
"Architects Tomasz Bekas and Jakub Wichtowski focused on exploring the local context in both symbolic and material dimensions. Āderu Namas is a project for an artistic residence, where functionality arises from blurring the boundary between interior and exterior, nature and art.
The Āderu Namas project is based on the tradition of respecting nature and the coexistence of humans with the landscape. The goal is to create an inspiring space for a creative individual to connect with the surrounding world. The use of natural materials embeds the buildings in the local context, and the designated zones, rooms, and their functions allow residents to feel harmony and balance. The design incorporates contemporary thinking about humans, architecture, and ecology into the form of a traditional rural cottage. In the spirit of low-tech, the project reduces energy consumption and maintenance costs. The utilization of heat from the lake, its proper accumulation in the chimney structure, sun shading regulation, and rainwater collection enable the maximal use of the place's natural resources.
The Painters’ Lake House competition, organized by the Buildner platform for the design of an artistic residence in the Latgale region in Latvia, aimed to replace old rural buildings with structures serving two families of painters. The concept of Āderu Namas by Tomasz Bekas and Jakub Wichtowski received an honorary mention. The starting point of the project was local beliefs in Adder, or underground energy lines influencing the relationship between humans and nature. Similar to the mythical concept, in the project by Polish architects, individual lines form weaves defining the functioning of the entire complex and the relationships between its elements. "The starting point for thinking about each building was to determine the intersections of fire lines and locate the hearth. The two chimneys proposed by us delineate new living spaces and a communal area between them. According to the beliefs of local communities, the layout of the house follows the free flow of energy in nature. In the past, the water lines surrounding the building defined its outline and external appearance, while the fire lines defined the interior. By planning the volumes according to this philosophy, we opened a view of the nearby lake and shaped a common space in the courtyard, typical of rural construction," explain the authors."
str. 106-107
special publication no 05/2023
salon no 16 _ november/2023 – february/2024
publisher _ polityka spółka z o.o. s.k.a.
editor-in-chief _ małgorzata tomczyk
article editing _ zofia małysa-janczy
project _ āderu namas
location _ cernostes lake, latvia
cooperation _ jakub wichtowski
development _ 2023
polityka _ salon
