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With Open House, a private residence near Bremen, KWK Promes is creating thoroughly innovative architecture. Currently under construction, Open House was conceived as an intimate space that’s both protected from, and open to, the outdoors thanks to a mobile structure that wraps around the home.
This ingenious solution means that the house blends into its setting and adapts to the needs of its residents. The project grew out of design research by Robert Konieczny, founder of KWK Promes, a firm recognized for tackling design challenges through technology.
The project’s site posed several challenges, with this normally peaceful area becoming crowded during nearby local sports events. To address this, the architects designed a round mobile wall that can be closed against noise as needed, and moved away to leave the house open and welcoming at other times.
The design of the mobile structure, which runs on circular tracks, means that its two sections can be opened and closed independently, and in different configurations. So as not to interfere with the character of the location, or prevent wild animals from the nearby forest crossing the property, the architects avoided all fencing, opting solely for the movable walls, which provide privacy for the residents and protect the local fauna.
Making the wall a dynamic architectural element that connects the house to the area open to the public is a practical example of how mobile structures can transform the spaces around a building. The mobile wall not only surrounds the architecture but also becomes an integral part of it to extend its boundaries.
For this design, Robert Konieczny built on earlier work involving the use of movable elements to define spaces, including his own project Safe House (a cube-shaped house that provides its residents with safety using movable external walls) and Philip Johnson’s 9 Ash Street House. By the Way House, another Konieczny project, involved close attention to the surrounding environment, a fundamental aspect of the Open House concept, which integrates perfectly with nature.
>>> Discover By the Way House, designed by KWK Promes.
KWK Promes’ innovative approach is also on display in the way the home combines traditional and modern elements. The reed roof and whitewashed walls recall local architecture, while the energy solutions adopted, including solar panels and natural ventilation, underscore a commitment to the environmental sustainability of this energy self-sufficient home.
Open House’s 250 m² of floorspace comprises two bedrooms, a large living room with a mezzanine level, a kitchen, and a terrace that, because of the movable walls, easily transforms into an open space.
Construction on Open House began in June and will be completed next year.
>>> Read about the Plato contemporary art gallery, designed by KWK Promes.
Location: Brema, Germany
Status: ongoing
Architect: KWK Promes
Client: Private
Rendering by and courtesy of KWK Promes
