Bronze Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2024
The Da House Private Residential
by Walenty Durka and Emilia Durka-Zielinska
- A' Design Award 2024 Bronze Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2024
- CLIENT: Dom Architektow
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,066
- Verification code 85D8E9D6EB · Verify this award
About The Da House Private Residential
The Da House is an innovative, wooden, modular object made with certified solid wooden 3D construction, ecological certified materials, passive technology and mobile foundation. This dwelling combines the simplicity and quality of prefabricated construction, with the beauty and integrity of an aesthetic object. There are translated ecological and functional assumptions creating a ecological architecture. The priority of the project was the health of residents, high quality, no barriers house, ecology and the favorable microclimate provided by wood, cost of construction & exploitation.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Da House is an innovative modular object made with certified solid wooden construction and wooden interior, ecological certified materials, passive technology. It's mobile house also with mobile foundation. This dwelling combines the simplicity and quality of prefabricated construction, with the beauty and integrity of an very aesthetic object. There are translated ecological and functional assumptions creating a holistic architecture. Determinants were: natural, recyclable materials, ultra high efficiency standard, water saving, carbon foot print- in entire life cycle of the building. The Project responds to the challenges: sustainable development, nature protection, human healthy, house controlled by price and cost of living.
The Da House is located slightly above the ground because he should establish a dialogue with nature and not dominated her. We implement completely new solutions, returning to "old materials" such as wood to use them in a different, modern way. Providing customers with maximum benefits in terms of full prefabrication control and price control. We believes that this is a completely new way of thinking about architecture for our times, in harmony with nature. - Dimensions & Packaging
- The Da House wooden cages are 2700 mm x 750 mm x 2700 mm.
The size of the modules is optimized. The dimensions of the modules are adapted to the transport possibilities and the dimensions of the boards produced. This does not generate waste and the house can be transported to any part of the continent. - Tags
- ecological, holistic architecture, natural architecture, wooden architecture, carbon foot-print, modular housing, modular buildings
- Production Technology
- The Da House is modular building.
Was build in Solid Wood Module system - innovative authorial construction wood frame-cages and 3-PLY wood panels.
House was prefabricated in manufacture of Dom Architektow and as a ready house was transported in modules to the land plot. The Da House is made only from wood, is energy efficient and made in passive technology. - Design Challenge
- The biggest barrier in designing and building a wooden modular building like The Da House was convincing recipients of the innovation, durability and attractiveness of modular architecture. Just preparing to build ecological, energy-saving modular buildings took years of preparation and experience in using own's architects wooden house with extremely low energy demand. Trust came with the needs that the modern world imposes on customers. Covering the entire construction process in one place under constant supervision, time and cost control has become crucial for customers.
- Project Duration
- The project of The Da House started in 2016 in Złotów in manufacture of Dom Architektow (prefabrication) and finished (as modular house) in 2017 in Brodnica Landscape Park, Poland.
- Operation Flow
- The Da House as modular building can be individual personalised by adding modules or to switch them. Ready building client can enlarge in time by ordering new modules. House can be also rebuild by changing interior walls. House can be disconnect and move to the new place also with foundations. Southern glass wall connected interior with exterior. House invites nature inside and changes inhabitants style of living. As they say to us - teaches her to protect her.
- Research
- The construction of The Da House was preceded by the construction of the architects' own house - an ecological, wooden house with zero energy demand. We translated both architectural and technical solutions into the construction of our own ecological house factory, and proven solutions were implemented in the ecological production.
- Inspiration
- Prefabrication in the modern world can solve new challenges for architecture. Sustainable development, nature protection, human healthy is basic guideline/mission of Dom Architektow So that We use wood and easy to recycle materials and care about carbon foot print in whole life of DA modular houses.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Photographer Jakub Certowicz, Da House, 2017
Image #2: Photographer Jakub Certowicz, Da House, 2017
Image #3: Photographer Jakub Certowicz, Da House, 2017
Image #4: Photographer Jakub Certowicz, Da House, 2017
Image #5: Photographer Jakub Certowicz, Da House, 2017
Video Credits: Dom Architektów, Walenty Durka - Patents
- copyrights: Copyrights belong to Walenty Durka
Colors of The Da House Private Residential
Design Interview about The Da House Private Residential
Our task was to create a fully ecological house, healthy for the builders and future residents, and taking into account the entire product life cycle. At the same time, the house was designed to be mobile, both the entire building and the foundations. We have developed an original system for building houses from a wooden 3D frame and point foundations that can be moved with the house. The house was supposed to correspond with nature and provide a healthy and beautiful living environment for its inhabitants.
We wanted to fulfill the client's dream of beautifully integrating the building into the surrounding nature. The house is located in a unique place in a landscape park and we wanted the shape to fit naturally into the landscape. So that the house doesn't scream. At the same time, we gave every household member a democratic opportunity to interact with what is outside. Thanks to this, their lives changed... to become fuller, healthier and gave them a lot of inner peace. Our client said that he has traveled almost the whole world... but this home keeps him here... giving him solace and satisfying all his needs.
We would like this house to win many more awards..to show others that beautiful ecological modular houses can be created. But the most important thing is our customer's satisfaction. After all, this house was built for him... We wish our clients the same satisfaction. We are doing everything to make this happen.
The modular house design is based on years of our preparations and experience in designing and building houses. First, we built our own house according to the assumptions. When they were confirmed, we implemented them in our work. It was a very natural, long but effective process.
This project was commissioned by our client. However, we had already developed a building system and offered it to our client. He agreed immediately. Potwm admitted that this house exceeded his wildest expectations
As far as we know, no one in the world produces mobile modular houses using only wood.
We plan to continue to produce our houses according to our original design. We hope that fate will allow us to do this for as long as possible.
We plan to continue to produce our houses according to our original design. We hope that fate will allow us to do this for as long as possible.
Responsibility as a designer. We wanted to design and build ecological and healthy houses. Having experienced severe illness resulting from environmental pollution ourselves, we wanted to give others the opportunity to surround themselves with healthy materials and a healthy living environment.
We think there are many of them... Philip Johnson, Le Corbusier, Ludwig van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and Richard Neutra... and many others. We have made observations a daily ritual. We are constantly learning and confronting with the world.
We think that everyone who cares about their carbon footprint, healthy life, and wants to build a house easily.
It is democratic like all our projects. Every resident of this and our other houses has contact with nature, whether they stay in the living room or in their own bedroom... or take a bath... This is unusual for the residents and completely new.
DA House is an abbreviation of name of our authors studio "Dom Architektów"
Grand Interview about The Da House Private Residential
Our path to developing a 3D wooden structure led through experience in designing and building wooden houses, including our own house, which became the starting project for modular division of space. The construction and use of this house confirmed our assumptions and so the idea was born to replicate these modules in the construction of modular houses based on our own designs, and to move the construction of houses under the roof to our own house prefabrication hall.
The inspiration was nature itself, what we found on site when visiting the client's plot. We decided that the most important thing in this project is the view. That our DA House fits perfectly into this location. It gives a democratic view to all residents regardless of which part of the house they are in and what they are doing. Raising the building above the ground additionally enhanced this view and provided protection for the building from periodic flooding of the river. This design of the house made the residents feel like an integral part of nature, which is why they started to take care of it and suport.
Our private house has become a testing ground for wood technology and passive heat sources. After many years of using it, our assumptions have simply proven themselves and have given us vast knowledge and experience in designing modular, ecological and zero-energy buildings, which we are now creating.
The ability to add, switch and move modules together with foundations is crucial for creating sustainable housing architecture of our times. Changing needs of residents, climate change (floods, earthquakes), economic stability are undoubtedly priority issues for architecture. Fulfilling them is a big challenge for societies, and architecture should cope with them. Our houses solve these problems.
The dimensions of our 3D wooden cages have been adapted to the possibility of easy delivery by road to any place in Europe or even the world. Their dimensions also result from the elimination of waste materials, which makes the production ecological and the materials optimally used.
I think we are still fighting this skepticism, but probably less and less. Customer awareness is growing. In addition, we have our passion and undoubted talent for talking about sustainable architecture. Sometimes one meeting is enough for a customer to become fascinated by this type of construction. It also convinces them that we use this type of house ourselves and that we build it ourselves in our workshop. Such trust is built personally.
The minimal carbon footprint is created by the use of wood and waste-based materials alone. Wood is a unique material. For every tonne of dry wood produced, 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide are taken out of the atmosphere. This taken carbon remains ‘locked up’ throughout the life of the wood, even when it is used to build products or furniture, helping to offset global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, our home construction process is unique. The homes are built in a zero-emission timber prefabrication hall. The use of certified materials and passive technology at The Da House Private Residential creates an impressive ecological footprint. Could you elaborate on the strategies you have implemented to minimise the environmental impact throughout the building’s life cycle?
The process of building modular houses also takes place in a wooden hall with a modular structure. We can also remove the hall together with the foundations from the plot or move it to another location. The hall is energy self-sufficient and built from ecological materials and those that are easy to recycle. Therefore, it does not and will not be a burden on the natural environment after its period of use.
The mobile foundation system of The DA House and all our buildings was originally designed for military use and for difficult terrain. Hence, our buildings can be placed in low ground, on rocks, unstable areas etc. The DA House was built on unstable peat and in the floodplain of a river. Thanks to these foundations, we can place safe buildings in seismic and floodplain areas.
We are learning all the time. We see no problem in making modular structures available for large residential or hotel projects. We are waiting for such a challenge. We believe that the future belongs to modular buildings.