A few months ago a good friend of mine who is a senior executive for a global electrical company visited Cracow in Poland. Interestingly she said that she was massively surprised by the beautiful buildings and wonderful cuisine. Even though I have visited several European cities over the years I have never travelled to this location. Certainly on her recommendation I would like to rectify this in the very near future.
Recently as well as publishing articles on Total Design Reviews I have also been working on several books. Two of these projects have involved some incredible modernistic buildings, which has meant regular contact with the architects involved. One of these innovators is Robert Konieczny, who owns the Polish based company KWK Promes. As well as undertaking making challenging residential projects they have also submitted a very interesting underground extension concept for the famous contemporary art gallery “Bunkier Sztuki” (The Bunker of Arts). This would involve several movable components like the roof and wall slabs.
When writing about residential buildings I always wonder what type of house the architects would design for themselves. Fortunately, in this instance this information is readily available in the shape of Robert Konieczny wonderful Konieczny’s Ark. The dwelling isn’t particularly large by modern standards but (in my opinion) is a master class in contemporary building design.
Aesthetically Konieczny’s Ark looks like a futuristic space ship nestled on top of a mountain. Certainly a project like this is very appealing as it frames the views of the surrounding landscape magnificently. Although the dwelling is constructed from mainly concrete and glass it also suits its environment. Ultimately this proves there is always a place for strong innovative design. Internally the décor is presented to an exceptionally high standard and many of the fixtures are bespoke. I also love touches like the A 10-meter drawbridge, which also doubles as a wall and window shutter.