Located 30 km west to the city of Krakow, the open hillside site is occupied by an existing family house built in the early 90s. The brief requested for radical upgrade, expand and redesign the property, whilst utilizing much of the existing structure.

The existing building is a very introverted with limited connection and relationship to the external environment. With the brief to increase the existing house by 80% in internal area, whilst completely transform the internal layout. The project presents an opportunity to establish the building’s relationship with the immediate landscape and the hillside beyond.

The extended volumes response to the slope of the elongated site, to take advantage of the views offered by the topography over the hillside. The centre of the ground floor plan is anchored by a small green light well and a suspended staircase, which brings light and verticality to a deep horizontal floor plan with various living function organised around the centre, with each room opening up and visually connected to different moments with the external landscape.

A basement level contains a small spa and health studios, whilst the bedrooms are located on the first floor with access to roof terraces above the ground floor extensions. The top floor is a large open studio that is lit by neutral daylight through large rooflights.

The façade is composed of pigmented concrete with specific areas of infilled brickworks, that reflects the original structural system of the existing house, whilst creating an abstract expression of the vernacular and common construction method of the local area.