Completed in 2021 by Polish architecture firm Franta Group, Villa Reden is a complex of eight apartments in Chorzów, Poland. Each apartment has access to both a patio and a terrace along its outer perimeter. The building’s shape was directly influenced by the lot’s irregular polygonal geometry, which left the most significant number of trees standing on the plot.
Villa Reden Technical Information
- Architects1: Franta Group
- Location: Chorzów, Poland
- Topics: Balconies, Total Black, Pilotis
- Area: 715,4 m2
- Project Year: 2021
- Photographs: © Tomasz Zakrzewski
Due to the acute angles, it was decided to round the corners, referring to the character of the interwar villas in the neighborhood, tree crowns, and the surrounding greenery.
– Maciej Franta
Villa Reden Apartments Photographs
Text by the Architects
The unique context of the place and the potential negative consequence of implementing a new tissue in this unique area meant that the decision to shape a new building was not easy and had to refer directly to these guidelines, not compete with them, and “respond” to the environment with its uniqueness in a contemporary way.
The task was even more difficult as the budget was limited and the investor’s expectations were high. The building’s idea and shape were directly influenced by the irregular polygonal shape of the area intended for development and the desire to leave the largest possible tree stand on the plot. Such a simple inspiration has become the basic guideline for shaping the building.
The building has been divided into four independently functioning parts, in which there are a total of eight apartments and the ground floor is a common area.
Creating the form step by step: first, a solid was formed, following the function of the apartments and optimizing their function into the shape of an irregular polygon. Then, a perimeter line was marked along the plot boundaries, and balconies were added to the block of flats to create a panoramic view of the surroundings.
Due to the acute angles (foreign in this context), it was decided to round the corners, referring to the character of the interwar villas in the neighborhood, the tree crowns, and the surrounding greenery. In the next step, to open up the view to the surroundings, the block was dressed with wooden viewing terraces featuring various surfaces around it. An internal break in the form was introduced by implementing a patio to illuminate the internal parts of the apartments (bathrooms and entrance areas to the apartments), and the floor of the residential part was raised by one level, leaving the undeveloped ground floor as a space for social interactions of residents and additional external functions.
The building formed in this way received unique features in the form of large terraces. You can enjoy the charms of the surroundings and feel a full integration with nature, thanks to the trees’ proximity and additional lighting on the patio. In the last step, the rhythm of the elevation was shaped. Vertical divisions of the façade were introduced, creating expressive, regular squares that arranged the building’s freely formed volume. It was ensured that the facade’s division and rhythm were equal and did not have any anomalies, such as extensions or additional elements.
Even though it looks like one coherent apartment building, it was designed as a complex of four single-family, two-apartment group buildings. The building has been divided into four independently functioning sections, each containing a total of two apartments. The ground floor of the building is mostly empty space, serving as a common area for all residents, and also houses the zone of entrances to the buildings, along with technical rooms such as a heat exchanger, power connection, and water meter. Each part has an independent entrance on the ground floor in the form of a staircase leading to two premises.
Each of the apartments has access to a terrace of varying widths along its outer perimeter and to a patio, which also illuminates the apartments and the entrance areas of the bathrooms.
The building contains 8 apartments, each 76-75 square meters in size, on 2 levels, with a total usable area of 715.4 square meters.
Villa Reden in Poland Plans
Villa Reden in Poland Image Gallery
About Franta Group
Franta Group is a Polish architectural studio known for its socially engaged and context-sensitive designs, with a particular focus on affordable housing and urban regeneration. Led by architect Tomasz Franta, the firm blends pragmatic spatial strategies with environmental responsiveness to create buildings that challenge conventional typologies while remaining accessible and grounded in local realities.
- Principle: Maciej Franta
