Safe House synthesis between security and connection. A blooming cube

In a landscape dominated by typical Polish cubic buildings from the 1960s and old wooden barns in a small village on the outskirts of Warsaw, the project of the Safe House prioritizes giving its inhabitants the feeling of maximum security. This has led to a patent for movable walls for a new type of building

A new type of movable external walls

Winner of numerous awards for its architectural projects, the Polish studio Robert Konieczny KWK Promes is called to design the Safe House, through which it invents a new type of movable external walls. The house has the shape of a cuboid with two external security zones: when closed, for example at night, the safe zone is limited to the immediate surroundings of the house; during the day, however, by opening the movable walls, the usable area extends to the garden surrounding the house

From mechanic to ecological

The building is a monolith of concrete that, thanks to the use of technically complex solutions for its moving parts made with light steel frames filled with mineral wool, can bloom and connect with the garden as a sealed solution in the closed version. In its open version, it allows for strategic seasonal use of natural light and sunlight. The entire house, including the movable elements, is clad with Cetris panels and waterproof alder plywood painted with a dark wood pattern, similar to that of the surrounding buildings

Moving elements interacting with the lot's conformation

The innovation lies in the interaction of the movable walls with the lot's conformation. The sliding walls are not dependent on the building's shape, which is why this patent can be applied to various types of houses. In the Safe House, those who enter, after passing through the gate, must wait to be received in the first security zone; at the same time, there is no risk of children running out onto the street uncontrollably while playing in the garden

Safe House Technology

The sliding walls, 2.2 meters high and 22 and 15 meters long, are not the only movable elements of the building; there are also: the large shutters, 2.8 meters high, with a width that varies up to 3.5 meters and an opening of up to 180 degrees; a drawbridge leading to the rooftop terrace above the pool; and finally, the huge gate that closes the southern lot, consisting of two parts, one of 14 and the other of 6 meters, manufactured by a company that supplies shipyards and airlines. Made of white anodized aluminum, it can be used as a screen for cinematic projection. All movable elements are equipped with integrated electronic motors, ensuring safe operation

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KWK Promes Konieczny

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