Imposing Concrete Residence in Warsaw: Safe House

“ Safe House ” was designed by Kwk Promes Architects and is located in Warsaw, Poland. The aim of the project was to create a two-level “fortress” that would provide a high level of security for the owners. Which is why the house features movable concrete walls that can pretty much isolate the entire residence when the owners are away for example. The house can literally be “closed” and “opened” according to the needs of the inhabitants. Here is more from the architects: “ When the set of 15 meter-long retractable walls on the eastern and western side are slid all the way out, the entry plot is enclosed into a temporary courtyard space. The back of the house, which faces an expansive garden to the south, features a 6 meter-high roll-down gate that completely opens up the interior to the exterior. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, presenting the living space with an effectively contrary impression to the one offered by the solid mass of the building .” We would be interested to know what are the main features that make a house “safe” in your opinion – architecturally speaking. (Photographer: Aleksander Rutkowski)