Konieczny's Ark: Navigating between concept and functionality
The picturesque, green and mountainous landscape of southern Poland inspired the latest creation by the Katowice KWK Promes architecture studio , with a work located in the rolling hills of Brenna. Upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to imagine why Konieczny’s Ark got its name. The work – designed for the owner of the company, the famous architect Robert Konieczny – is located in a place that is constantly subject to landslides. For this reason, a building was designed that “floats” on a moving surface, giving the Ark an aesthetic that is symbolically comparable to that of a boat that allows the muddy mixture to flow freely under the ground, without damaging its structure.
Photographer Jakub Certowicz perfectly managed to capture the dynamism of the structure.
The technical pillars of the intervention
Diasen contributed to the construction of the building by offering a waterproofing solution on its entire external surface thanks to the water repellent BKK Eco which guarantees the surface a anti-rain barrier which reinforces the optical effect of an ark that sails among the waves of the territory in which it is immersed.
Water repellent
α = 0,1 m2/Ms
The low diffusivity value indicates a high degree of heat insulation and therefore greater comfort and savings for summer cooling
Weathering Test
α = 0,1 m2/Ms
The low diffusivity value indicates a high degree of heat insulation and therefore greater comfort and savings for summer cooling.
Breathability
μ: 7
Walls free to breathe. Thanks to its high permeability, the humidity of the interior is perfectly balanced, thus avoiding the formation of mold and condensation.
The Ark: between symbolism and functionality
The house was designed by Robert Konieczny inspired by a primordial structure: the biblical ark. As the architect himself stated, the development of the project “was completely consequential” in order to merge one’s architectural vision and the functionality of a structure into a single creation that would have been designed to adapt to the territory that hosts it.
Used products
BKK Eco
Ecological water-based water repellent, colorless and breathable for exposed surfaces. Not dangerous for the environment and for people’s health.