Limestone House / 2018

The town of Biskupice in the Olsztyn commune is situated at the foot of the Sokolec Mountains, the second largest forest nature reserve in the Kraków-Częstochowa highlands. The hills here are made of limestone covered with loess (clastic, predominantly silt-sized sediment that is formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust) giving it a very peculiar appearance. In many places, bare Jurassic rocks with rich forms of karst relief are exposed from under the loess.
It is at such a deep, picturesque ravine that the designed house is to be built. When looking for away to fit the building into the unique landscape as much as possible, we followed its characteristic signs – limestone rocks revealing under the loess. Due to the relatively low height of these faultsand the gentle topography, the rocks are usually covered with a layer of soil with vegetation. Hence a simple way to cover the walls with limestone and use a green roof.

Reaching for the local stone, we also refer to the tradition of the region. In the Jura area, limestone has been dug out of farmland for centuries. Local people say that “the earth gives birth to stones.” Initially, this building material was stored on copper, and if necessary, it was used for bricklaying the walls of buildings and fences. Examples of such facilities can be found in every town in theJura. The standardization of construction technologies in recent years has almost displaced this traditional material from use, and yet it is still a hallmark of the region.
In addition to the undoubted aesthetic valuesand cultural connotations, the return to its use is also supported by the principle of sustainable development, preferring the use of locally sourced materials in construction.

Lime stone cladding will be built with a deep joint so that the mortar is almost invisible. As the years go by, the soft stone will begin to gently wash out and become overgrown with moss and small plants, which will cause the walls to merge even strongly with the ground. The green, single-pitched roof covered with perennials will take over native species after a few years, which will make it virtually disappear against the forest wall.
The simple form of a beautifully aging building will function as part of the natural landscape.