H9 published in Architektura 8/2008.

Architect Piotr Smierzewski’s Own House in Koszalin 

Architect Piotr Smierzewski’s Own House was by no means meant to be exceptional. It was treayed just like another design in the HS99 atelier, and given a number just like all others. Similarly to many projects of this practice, this one is ruled by discipline and spirit of rationalism.  The house was constructed in a suburban district of Koszalin (the second-biggest city in Western Pomerania); up to the mid-1990s the district was a village, and some village buildings typical of this region have still been preserved.  The elongated flat-roofed mass of medium-sized house was defined according to the principle of equal divisions and reversed symmetry. The reading of its plan is a joy comparable to solving an intelligent puzzle with surprisingly simple solution. All sophisticated details were reduced on principle: the design defines only what is necessary.  The house was built of locally-available materials: hand-formed bricks combined with wood, and paving stones.