Bahama Times

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

A Family in Poland Adds an Origami-Inspired Retreat to Their Backyard

A Family in Poland Adds an Origami-Inspired Retreat to Their Backyard

The owners’ fascination with Zen rock gardens informed the design of this tiny ADU.

After falling in love with Japanese design and culture during their travels, a couple of conservators enlisted Polish architecture firm Medusa Group to create a backyard garden retreat that pays homage to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Having worked with the clients on a house design a few years ago, the architects were familiar with the couple’s priorities and tastes.



Located in the historic Polish city of Toruń, the simple and clean design of the Origami House complements the main home's contemporary styling.



Built mainly from steel, the multifaceted Origami House features a matte, all-black finish that distinguishes the building from its neighbors.

"As a result of many conversations and meetings, we decided to create a simple and small structure, which will act as a sculpture in a garden, a hermitage, guesthouse, or, as of recent, a place of seclusion during a pandemic," explain the architects, who completed the Origami House this year.



Large panes of glass direct views from the Origami House to the garden, which is lined with white gravel, a likely reference to Japanese rock gardens. A large skylight also tops the building to let in additional light.

Local regulations permitted the construction of a small backyard building so long as the structure featured a sloped roof. Sensitively scaled so as to not detract from the main house, the compact retreat distinguishes itself with an all-black multifaceted exterior inspired by origami art.



The architects sprayed a graphite polyurethane coating onto the steel structure to achieve an origami-inspired "visually light, paper form".



Every element and facet of the design was developed with 3D modeling.

The light-toned interior was created as a contrast to the facade and lined with whitewashed plywood-a nod to the fusuma paper-wood sliding doors found in traditional Japanese architecture.



A space-saving staggered steel staircase leads up to the loft with a bedroom and bathroom.

The 475-square-foot dwelling includes two floors. One the ground floor is a living space centered on a wood-burning fireplace with a kitchenette to the side. Above, a compact loft houses a skylit bedroom and bathroom.



Using a steel structure posed challenges for both the design and construction process, say the architects. "It required high accuracy and none of the elements were repeatable."

"The building is also intended to serve a decorative function, as a sculpture in the home garden space," note the architects.



When viewed from the adjacent road and forest, the Origami House appears completely closed with no visible windows.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bahama Times
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×