Apartment 313 blocks

Archdaily publication​​​​​​​

   We would like to start right away with the name of the apartment – “313 Block`s”

The main focus here is on ceramic blocks «Porotherm» 44. Its size is 440x248x238mm.

This building material is used in the construction of external walls of buildings. One of the characteristics is that it has ribs on both sides. During construction, the blocks are stacked with these edges to fit each other. In our case, the blocks are laid the other way around – with the edges outward. This was done to give the walls a dynamic appearance. They resemble an accordion. When you walk along them, your fingers slide along the edges of the blocks. Their surface is varnished, so it is pleasant to touch. As for the number, there are exactly 313 pieces.

    When these blocks were chosen as the architectural basis of the apartment, it became clear that the appearance of the apartment would be quite brutal. To further emphasize the importance of this material, we have used it as the main wall material. It forms all partitions between all rooms. In these blocks, both function and decor are beautifully combined.

   The second experiment and the second most important material was the foam blocks. They were also chosen because they were already present in the apartment. But in order not to dwell on the existing foam blocks, we decided to use them as wall tiles. Due to the ease of processing, tiles were cut from the blocks, which then hid all the plumbing communications in two bathrooms. It put plumbing leads in the right places to nicely fit design and function. Thanks to these two materials, almost all walls in the rooms create integrity of the artistic perception of the residential apartment. To finish, all the gas blocks were painted. In the area of ​​contact with water, they were varnished.

   The ribbed blocks serve as a compositional accent; everything else has been painted in beige gray. This solution creates a warm general background in the apartment and softens the brutality of the blocks.

   The main background is created by chipboard color. Sample colors for painting tiles, radiators, concrete and lamps were created to fit it. The curtains and sofa textiles have been selected in the same range to match it. A huge dining table with a bench is the same color.

   Thanks to the “painting” of all possible elements in the background color, the blocks remain the accent. The result is a fairly architectural monocolor and 313 blocks.