D-House Urban Sandwich: Aging Polish home renovated with a sky garden oasis

Poland’s <a href="http://www.zalewskiag.com/" target="_blank">Zalewski Architecture Group</a> took on the challenge of designing a modern renovation for a 1930s-era urban house, and they came up with a striking green update. Located in the dense city of Zabrze, D House—Urban Sandwich, is a single family brick home capped with a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/the-slabs-gorgeous-italian-pavilion-crowned-with-a-sky-garden-proposed-for-milan-expo-2015/" target="_blank">lush green oasis</a>. The roof contains a terrace hidden from the surrounding streets by a thick veil of foliage.

For blocks surrounding the single family home, two storey tenements rise, all built in the early 1900s.

The D House- Urban Sandwich will be a local landmark, serving as a modern model for the historic apartments common in the area.

Zalweski decided to <a href="http://inhabitat.com/two-story-green-wall-freshens-up-renovated-hotel-sevenfourone-in-california/" target="_blank">build vertically</a>, changing the traditional peak roofed shape of the brick house.

Removing the roof, a modern second floor addition would be added, making the home rectangular in shape.

The first floor would be divided up into common areas for the family- living room, dining room, guest room and play areas. The family’s bedrooms would all be relocated to the second floor, where privacy is key, and new, cozy areas are created.

The firm has also <a href="http://inhabitat.com/rooftop-helipad-transformed-into-garden-and-co-working-space-in-mexico-city/" target="_blank">activated the roof space</a>, which is now flat thanks to the redesign. A heavy layer of leafy bushes line the perimeter, giving a cocoon-like privacy to the outdoor terrace. The D House-Urban Sandwich brings much needed greenspace to a single family home in the middle of an urban area.