Interviews med Emilia Durka-Zielińska and Walenty Durka

We both graduated from the University of Technology in Poznań, but it was only after graduation that our real learning began. Internships in small and large architectural offices undoubtedly contributed a lot to our education, but it was the construction of our own ecological house in passive technology that gave us real experience in the profession. The house was awarded by the Green Building Council as the best ecological facility in Poland in 2011. This gave us the confidence that we were going in the right direction. We have been in the profession for over 20 years. We work and have worked for individual clients and have participated in large projects, such as designing a hospital and a large corporate hall in a passive standard. We have gained experience in small and various large projects.

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.

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"

We both graduated from the University of Technology in Poznań, but it was only after graduation that our real learning began. Internships in small and large architectural offices undoubtedly contributed a lot to our education, but it was the construction of our own ecological house in passive technology that gave us real experience in the profession. The house was awarded by the Green Building Council as the best ecological facility in Poland in 2011. This gave us the confidence that we were going in the right direction.

We motivate each other. Working as a partner is not easy, because you spend 24/7 together, but it's perfect for us. Being in nature also has a creative impact on us. Every project requires concentration and silence, and this is undoubtedly what nature gives us. We chose a place among lakes and forests as a place to live and work. This is an undoubted and invaluable advantage

Since childhood, we both felt a great need to create. It was natural that we absorbed what our parents did... As a child, Walenty was passionate about what his carpenter father did, and I, i.e. Emilia, submitted projects to my dad and watched with enthusiasm what my dad was doing. Besides, we have always had an irresistible curiosity about the world and creation. I guess we were born with it.

We design ecological wooden modular buildings and their interiors as an integral part of our architecture.We wouldn't want to have to design differently. The challenges of the current world naturally lead us to ecological architecture.

There is never a recipe for success. It takes a lot of work and patience, but also a bit of luck... meeting good people and situations that will be favorable to you. The rest is a mystery...

Reliability...We had the opportunity to work with many people, but when they did not pay enough attention to their work.. it was only good, not perfect.

Work and one more work... being a designer is a constant inquiry.

Good design is well thought out in every aspect. No question about him comes as a surprise.

In addition to the effort put into its creation, it also has this undefined something brought by the character and soul of the designer. And this can no longer be described precisely.

In the case of architecture, good design is, in addition to its beauty, also its usefulness. A building is not created in a vacuum. It is created for a given place, for a given person/people... it solves a task and then he is good.

If we had time... we wouldn't design anything and just go to the forest :)

One day there will come a time to stop designing and then our head must be filled with something... We can draw from doing nothing and silence... Who knows, maybe then something completely different, new and exciting would be born.

This is a modular house built for us in Italy. We envy our clients their houses designed and built in our factory and in their dream places. Time will tell whether such plans will be implemented.

Truth... be true in what you do.

We think there are many of them... Philip Johnson, Le Corbusier, Ludwig van der Rohe, Walter Gropius and Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eams, Steve Jobs... and many others. We have made observations a daily ritual. We are constantly learning and confronting with the world.

Our favorite is Philip Jonson's Glass House design. Just like we tried to do in our projects, this house blurred the line between the inside of the house and the outside. We like to blur the space that divides the interior with the surrounding nature. Living in such a house teaches respect for nature because we become part of it.

We believe that so far this is the project awarded the A'Design Award in 2004. In fact, we believe that the best one is yet to come. We consider the awarded house design to be one of our best because the client gave us a free hand in the entire design process and in the end he is delighted with the house. His satisfaction is our reward

Designing is passion and a lot of work. You have to stick to it to get better... getting better.

There are many answers to this... Emilia always wanted to sail on the seas... and Walenty wanted to ride a bike in the forests. Many professions would be included in this... we have never lacked alternatives.

We like nature and that is why our interests revolve around it.

Design is creativity. It's a constant need for improvement, crossing boundaries and solving problems. It is as broad a concept as the sea and how the sea provides an open horizon for creation.

We were supporting ourselves. Separately, we would not have achieved what we have. When others told us that it wasn't possible, that it wouldn't work, we believed in what we set out to do. We trusted each other. We helped each other.

I don't know... it's hard work, I guess. No client knows how much work has to be put in, this incalculable number of hours to achieve something good... something that is close to perfection, something that will be a model for you and others for years to come. Trusting yourself helps like nothing else. Each project is an integral part of the designer's personality... part of his experience, work, intuition and something that is inside him but cannot be defined. This something we are born with.

The obstacles were lack of self-confidence... money... and health, the loss of which seriously undermined our lives. But thanks to these difficulties, we are who we are and we turned them into something good.. the good things are the healthy and ecological houses we produce. We designed the first one for ourselves. Who knows what our professional path would have been if it weren't for our bad experiences. They paved our way for us. There was no turning back now. We have changed our way of thinking forever...

We think the internet is the king now in this regard. Designers should not be afraid to show their works to the world. The belief that you won't like it is not the best thing. Courage helps you achieve a lot. After all, everything on earth is made for man by man.

We are currently implementing another DA house in Masuria. This is a new challenge for us because we put together unusual parts of the building. This project also had to comply with the principles of the regional style of Masuria Region.We will continue to build our ecological homes as best we can. The dream is for each of them to be zero or plus energetic and to be a role model for other designers.We believe that we now have all the tools to create only ecological buildings.

Our dream is for our ecological houses to be role models for other designers and builders. Our role will end someday. We dream that our knowledge and experience will not be lost and will be a knowledge base for others

Our clients want to entrust us with the construction of their dream place to live. So we must expect each other to trust each other.

Every project and project carries a lot of responsibility. In times of global warming, the carbon footprint of each product is extremely important. When we took on the challenge of designing and building ecological houses, it took us years of preparation and learning. We get great satisfaction from this and feel proud that we managed to achieve it for the general good for better society.

We are currently working on another ecological modular house. We are equally excited about every project. Each one is slightly different and presents a new challenge.

The hardest ones...

It's easy to accept the reward after hard work. It is not valued so much when it is easy to get her.

In the face of many mass projects of low quality, we would like the designer's rank to be higher. We hope to work in partnership with our clients and have a lot of trust. Unfortunately, it is not easy in a world where authorities are falling... to be one of them for someone.

We think it aims to convey design to artificial intelligence. But we hope that in terms of art, which undoubtedly is architecture, there will remain space for human creativity and a sense of beauty. We can already see how prefabrication of houses will replace traditional construction. We are part of it ourselves. Where processes can be simplified, implementation time and costs shortened, unification will prevail. However, we are an example that unification did not destroy the artistic tone.

It looks very different. As a rule, however, we return with the client to the first concept, the one that grew from our intuition.

We start by setting limits. Just as working with a small space is extremely difficult, each project has its own framework that cannot be omitted. Houses are not built in a vacuum. A house will be built somewhere, for someone... how to build it, how to use it and how to finally remove it with the least possible impact on the environment are the challenges in our design.

Less means more. Cleansing the project and unnecessary things in our lives, at least in our case, gives the desired effect.

We believe that projects set trends. This was also the case with us. Before the simple shape of the building and the materials we use became a permanent trend in our market, we had been designing them for many years. People started imitating us and the trend became noticeable. We are very happy about this.

Technology is key. How and from what you build your product will depend on how much of a burden it will be on the planet. As our case shows, the construction technology gave us scope to show off and made the project innovative and created for the present and the future.

Someone once invented plastic... then beautiful plastic chairs... but it is the current generations who have to bear the bad consequences of these projects

The role of color and material is very important. It affects our feelings and makes us feel either good or bad. Each color affects our well-being and the material affects our health. Choosing them correctly is a big responsibility and not fun.

We don't know... I guess it's about whether it's healthy and ecologically sustainable. Nowadays, too much attention is paid to whether something is pretty and prestigious, and not to how it will affect us and others.

Did it solve any problem. Is it fully thought out?!

We support each other and we are really lucky that we design together and complement each other. We usually have similar views on a given project.

We interacted to each other. Our shared experiences have shaped us.

oh my, there are many of them.

Certainly books about mycology and hemiology of building materials and all the design in the world that I can find in my books collected over the years.

We designed, designed and designed again. Just like a musician has to deal with the material of music almost every day, a designer also has to practice. This is the key to being good at what you do.

We would like to meet Charles and Ray Eams. They struggled, like us, as a married couple, with the matter of design. It would be interesting to confront our everyday challenges.

Fame is something elusive. There are few things that can influence how we perceive the world and who we are. Prizes don't change anything here. Maybe they only influence us to be even better... to set new limits for ourselves.

Our favorite color is blue... blue like the sky and oceans is our logo. We feel best by the water and in the forest, we love Italian cuisine, it is simple and delicious and made of high-quality products. The time of year is spring, when everything comes to life, and autumn, when everything goes to sleep and brings silence, we do not try to get attached to things and we like niche brands dealing with crafts.

It was funny when someone once stopped us in the shop parking lot because he wanted to buy our car. We met each other. We sold him our car and at the same time we designed a wooden viewing tower for him... A real happy accident :) As you can see, you can also gain customers this way.

We are most happy when we start and finish a project.

A designer? Yes. We weren't interested in being famous

I don't think anyone knows that. Our reality is constantly changing... it's hard to predict what will happen in a year... let alone so far away. We have our scenarios, but we probably won't talk about them because they don't bode well for us as humanity.

We are a married couple of architects. We value modesty, we love silence, we like simple things.We love good food and small pleasures. We design and build ecological modular houses. Ecology and health are our priorities.

We strive to lead a peaceful and simple life in harmony with what surrounds us.

Yes, as children we wanted to become designers. We believe that it was largely influenced by what our parents did, but also by some internal need to create, already from childhood. This path was consolidated when we got to know each other and when we founded a joint design studio. Then everything worked out thanks to intuition. It cost us a lot of work and suffering, but it was consistent. Even when others said it wouldn't work.

We are both a design studio and a house manufacturer. We build houses that we have designed for our clients. The idea of ​​​​such work was to assume "from line to key”. Even though the houses are modular, each one is tailored to the client's needs and the place where it will be placed. In this way, unique buildings are created that do not resemble mass-produced container buildings. The entire production is ecological and zero energy. We are proud of it

Like James Weeb said: „ An Idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements”. We took an old building material which is wood, and we used it in a new, modern way to build modern houses. We build prefabricated houses that meet current needs. Because design is supposed to solve problems posed by the our world.

We like to design wooden constructions. For us, wood is a beautiful and versatile material. It allows you to create healthy and ecological buildings. Designing a living space that changes the perspective of our client's life, into a healthy and ecological life, is real satisfaction for us.

Our favorite is Philip Jonson's glass house design. Just like we tried to do in our projects, it blurred the line between the inside of the house and the outside. We like to blur the space that divides the interior with the surrounding nature. Living in such a house teaches respect for nature because we become part of it.

Our first idea was a wooden 3D frame frame an open structural design allows for free configuration. This allowed us to design space without internal structural barriers and to ensure the mobility of the facility.

Our favorite material is wood and prefabrication technology. On this basis, we have developed our own form of prefabrication in wood "Solid Wood module” - 3D wooden modules

Being in nature influences us most creatively. Every project requires concentration and silence, and this is undoubtedly what nature gives us. We chose a place among lakes and forests as a place to live and produce houses, so all we need to do is look out the window of our house. We actively use what surrounds us, whether by the water or wandering in the forest.

On all of them at the same time. Architecture requires a holistic approach, every small element counts. A house is a machine that, apart from being beautiful, is supposed to provide us with comfort of life and be ecological in every aspect.

We feel excited. There is a new problem to solve, because each house is a different person, a different place and different conditions to be met. We design with the hope that everything will fit together beautifully. That we will create a new, beautiful place to live... our client's dream place.

We feel proud. We finally created another work into which we put all our heart and strength. We build each house as if it were our own. So the end is like the birth of a new baby... our baby.

Truth. In our opinion, the project should primarily reflect needs, not only visions.

First, we assess whether the project is fully thought out. From above we see where the vision has exceeded its purpose. We like utilitarian, modest and balanced designs. If something screams, there must be a reason.

Broadly understood responsibility should be the basis of every business and undertaking. Today, not many companies are able to take responsibility for how they produce, which translates into the condition of our planet. We simply couldn't look each other in the eye and ignore reality. That's why we build from certified wood and certified wood-based materials,

buildings with the highest energy standard, ecological from the purchase of goods through the prefabrication process, recycling at the end of the building's operation, i.e. its demolition. Houses must be adapted to our times and thinking about the well-being of generations. The health of our employees and future residents is also our responsibility.

We believe that most of the basic design processes will be taken over by artificial intelligence. But we hope that in terms of art, which undoubtedly is architecture, there will remain space for human creativity and a sense of beauty. We can already see how prefabrication of houses will replace traditional construction. We are part of it ourselves. Where processes can be simplified, implementation time and costs shortened, unification will prevail. However, we are an example that unification did not destroy the artistic tone.

Our last exhibition took part in a competition held in Poland titled "intelligent architecture responsible for the environment" in 2018, where our project received a distinction.

We are watching the achievements of world architecture. We anticipate and we learn

Our designs are ahead of trends. What we create comes from within us. we create architecture the way we feel. Prefabrication is just becoming popular. When it comes to architecture itself, we still want it to be universal, to resist trends, not to get old and therefore ecological.

Our exponent is "less is more". Our architecture is minimalist, simple, pure and timeless.

The building's opening to nature is characteristic. Each of our houses harmonizes with its surroundings and does not try to outdo it. Open glass walls open up to the outside and give every user of the house equal participation with nature.

We design holistically. We treat all aspects of the design process equally. Long ago, the architect was the main builder, we took this deeply to our heart.

We live in Poland. Of course, the cultural heritage of our country affects our designs. We think this is the case with every designer. Our designs draw on the Polish simple building form of the „Polish barn”. Because we like its simple and expressive form, which can be found in many countries. So many nations feel a bond with it and it is commonly found in the landscape.In my country, the profession of architect has no rank. It is true that design is revived, but it always happens only when society becomes richer. We are just starting this process when it comes to architecture, art and broadly understood design.

We cooperate with many companies from the construction, crafts and interior design industries from Poland and Europe. For them, our activity is something new. Little by little we gain their trust and great interest. More and more often they see that we are part of a newly emerging market, the market of prefabrication and a finished product such as a house. Pioneers never had it easy.

We believe that openness and passion is the most important thing here. Innovative designers must awaken desires and make dreams come true. A good designer is one who has extensive experience, a lot of practice (craft), must feel the material in which he works, have an open mind and common sense. Somewhere in all this he must, as we say, keep his feet firmly on the ground.

And sometimes you're just born with this thing, this talent. And when he consolidates what he feels with experience, he can become a master in his field.

We start by setting limits. Just as working with a small space is extremely difficult, each project has its own framework that cannot be omitted. Houses are not built in a vacuum. A house will be built somewhere, for someone... how to build it, how to use it and how to finally remove it with the least possible impact on the environment are the challenges in our design.

I guess we won't be able to answer this question, because our architecture merges with the interior. It gives the house character, the structure is visible, wooden walls immediately define the character of the house. All furnishing elements, such as wardrobes and the kitchen, are an integral part of the architecture. We just don't put them there. We try to make them fit together.

Well... we get up in the morning and go from our house to the prefabrication hall 2 km away. There we design and build at the same time. We still have a view from the office of the house being built in the hall. The uniqueness of our work is that we are constantly on the "construction site". The construction of the house is constantly supervised by us, and the repeatability of solutions means that we can build at the highest level of craftsmanship.

After work, we often go to the forest for a walk or kayaking. Our home also gives us a constant perception of nature, thanks to it we can rise to the challenge every day, after the so-called forest mound that cools our senses. When our employees go home, we often continue to devote our time to work. The life of a designer is a lifestyle rather than a job. I think each of us will admit it :) We just live it.

As a young designer, I would like to know how much work awaits me. This is not a profession for the lazy. The work engages you for 24 hours and stays in your mind constantly. We don't have recipes for how to be good... what matters to us is the consistency of what we do. Tenacity has gotten us to where we are.

As a designer, you can pursue your passion professionally. Unfortunately, you have to be persistent and hard-working. Patience will also help. After all, the effects of your involvement in the designer's work, as history shows, may come to you at the end of your life. Unfortunately, today's intense competition does not make the task easier. But you have to believe in yourself and derive daily satisfaction from a job well done.

Less.. cleaning of the project, at least in our case, gives the desired effect.

We know what is important to us... the ability to combine experience from many fields, i.e. versatility. This allowed us to learn and draw from many areas to create an innovative brand.

On a daily basis, we work in a Mac environment and using ARCHICAD software. We browse the Internet and have already gathered a large library of books and industry magazines.

He is the one who manages me. It's hard to strike a balance. But as we have already mentioned, we chose areas rich in nature as our place of work ad live, so we have a place to get away and breathe, this would not be possible in a big city.

It looks very different. As a rule, however, we return with the client to the first concept, the one that grew from our intuition. The first thought usually wins. This results from our intuition as a designer, but also from experience.

Clients ask..What is the cost of a house? And this should not surprise anyone nowadays. Our product was created for this purpose, to clearly and immediately determine the budget. In our case of modular houses, it is quantifiable and plannable. This is a great advantage of this type of architecture. The client knows what budget he is building within. In the case of traditional construction, this is difficult to determine and usually the budget is exceeded.

It was building your own green passive house, awarded by the Green Buildin Council of award as the best ecological house in 2011 in Poland. This is what we based our experience on in designing and building. We wish every designer such a beginning. We still implement what we managed to design in our projects today. We simply tested the assumptions ourselves and now we can confidently recommend these solutions to our clients.

These are people who want to entrust the construction of their own house to a professional, busy people who do not have time to make a number of difficult decisions related to construction, often far from their home or abroad. We direct our service to such people. A house that can be built in a hall and ready (with furniture) can be transported with the foundations to any place. This is a solution for them and, we think, for everyone who wants to take the construction process lightly.

We are able to work as a team, but it is our independent work that gives us the most satisfaction. Then comes the time of consultation and it turns out that we think the same. It's very nice to have the support of your own thoughts.

We are not changing our plan. We stick to the original assumptions of running our own house manufacture. The challenge is to offer our houses intercontinentally and we have to start trying to do it slowly because we have an inquiry from Cape Town... We have no transport restrictions..but we'll see.

As a married couple of architects, we work together and naturally complement each other.

We are currently implementing another DA house in Masuria. This is a new challenge for us because we put together unusual parts of the building. This project also had to comply with the principles of the regional style of Masuria Region.

You can contact us via e-mail, Facebook messenger or Instagram.

The topic of design probably cannot be finished.

We would like to add that we are very pleased that we, as a small houses manufacture, are among so many great designers and projects at A'Design Award Competition

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.