Āderu¹ Namas²
¹Ādere ir mītisks tīklojuma veida enerģijas strāvojums zemē. Ticība āderēm ir sastopama daudzās tautās, īpaši Latvija un Ziemeļeiropā. Āderu ekistence nav zinātniski pierādīta un tiek apšaubīta.
¹Ādere is a mythical form of energy flow beneath the earth's surface. Belief in āderi is found in many cultures, especially in Latvia and Northern Europe. The existence of āderi is not scientifically proven and is questioned.
²Namas - house
- idea -
The greatest treasure of what was before us is tradition and the local context present around us. Objects that refer to local heritage and can draw from it become cohesive elements of the spatial puzzle. Deeply rooted in the nature of people who have lived in these areas for generations can inspire many contemporary artists. Cultural beliefs in invisible but perceptible underground lines of energy that affect human functioning as part of nature. It all starts from a point, connects into lines, signs, and then stories - leading to the creation of art.
Nature is an integral part of artists' inspiration. It has always been present in painting, music, or theater - reminding of its significance and indicating the origin of humans as part of the natural landscape. In its essence, humans collaborate with nature, utilizing its richness, respectfully creating their reality. They strive for continuous development. This is what life in harmony with nature is all about.
A home based on this creative cycle features an open form and functional flexibility. To provide a harmonious background for life and the creative process. Simultaneously, stimulating it for creative work in a space that is a link between worlds - where the interior merges with the exterior, where elements of nature do not have their distinct boundaries, complementing architectural spaces.
The core of the building is based on two chimneys - the heart of the new function and the domocentric archetype. It refers to the history of a hut where two brothers lived together under one roof, sharing spaces and helping each other. Changing the mindset about developing traditional, local graphic symbols into shaping space led to the gradual formation of ideas. This established a coherent narrative about building space. Architecture becomes the basis for creating new works as a new heritage in the future. To inspire future generations. So that the whole process can repeat in the next cycle.
- how does it work? - by analogy -
// chimney - core
Fire, as one of the elements of local culture, focuses social life and relationships around it. Locally and anthropologically, the fireplace is the core of settlement. Over time, its shape has taken the form of a chimney, whose significance has grown and become the heart of the home. The chimney became the beginning, the point of building a form that, anchored in previously existing places, gained a more contemporary meaning. Following tradition, it concentrated all the functions of the building, relieving the internal space around it.
// fire line
The connection between points is a continuation of thinking about the intertwining of natural energies and the symbol of fire as the central point of creation. The beginning of thinking about each building is to determine the intersections of fire lines and locate the chimney - the heart, the gathering point. The strongest connections lie in domestic construction, where thinking about the coexistence of two families as a new form of the previous house of two brothers leads to the creation of a new form. Two chimneys define a new living space and a common area between them.
// free flow
According to the thinking of local community beliefs, the layout follows the free flow of energy in nature. Once, water lines surrounding the building defined its outline. Water lines defined the exterior, fire lines the interior. Everything had its place. The exploration of arrangement revolved around the free flow of views and light, positioning against the wind, and clear separation, where no object competes with another. By freely distributing volumes, we open the view to the lake and shape the common space in the courtyard, as is typical in rural construction.
// growing form
The connection of all elements based on respect for nature and heritage leads to a deeper relationship between humans and nature in a specific space. Creating specific zones: privately enclosed in the core, privately open on the ground floor. Shared space inside the building. This configuration allows everyone to find their place at a given moment. An open space for work allows for a deeper immersion in what surrounds the artist. The possibility of adapting the space and controlling the interior lighting, thanks to manually operated wooden sunscreens, leads us to a simple, almost "low-tech," but appropriate way of functioning for this place.
- zones -
The house plan is characterized by the division into zones and efficient use of space. Naturally, the building's surroundings become an extension - a complement. The division is based on: a central common part and two private units. The living space can be arranged in several ways. The floor, as a completely private fragment without openings to the outside, can be shaped as two separate bedrooms or a connected space. Roof windows allow distant views towards the lake.
Each of the two residential parts consists of a semi-private space of the living room and kitchen and a private space within the living chimney. The workshop and surroundings create one space, allowing for unlimited possibilities of arrangement and division of space according to needs and functions. Simultaneously, it allows for closing off and disconnecting from unfavorable weather.
- objects -
Referring to the existing context, the residential building was erected in the place of previous buildings, preserving the same outline. In the form of a traditional rural cottage, modern thinking about humans and eco-friendly solutions was implemented. Building the interior based on massive chimneys that accumulate heat resulted in interesting interiors and thermal gain. This opened the home to the surroundings, freeing external walls and allowing for thermal insulation of the chimney. Maintaining the low-tech philosophy by using manually operated wooden curtains refers to local construction, allowing for optimal effects in terms of sustainable construction. Limiting advanced technologies allows for greater integration with the environment and reduces energy consumption.
Introducing only the most necessary technologies, such as recuperation and a heat pump drawing energy from water, combined with manually operated sun blinds, allows for maintaining thermal comfort with minimal investment. Collecting rainwater, proper orientation with respect to the wind, and the compactness of the block allow for reducing later costs by using project measures during construction.
The workspace is an independent place for focusing on art and nature. The flexibility of the space allows two individuals to work freely at the same time. The workshop is a combination of both open and closed areas, and the possibility of partially opening the walls allows the studio to extend towards the lake. The foundations of the old barn have become the reason for creating a central outdoor space for tenants, enabling them to build a very local, independent community.
honorable mention
achitecture _ painter’s lake house international competition
buildner.com
location _ cernostes lake, latvia
organizer _ buildner
competition type _ idea
cooperation _ jakub wichtowski
project _ 2023
publications
āderu namas
