words: Denis Podmarkov, Design Focus: Karina Wiciak, Wamhouse Studio
Editor’s Note: This article originally ran in the Q3_2020 issue of quattro Magazine. If you would like to subscribe to quattro Magazine, please join Audi Club here.
Inspiration can come from anything…a simple walk in the park can inspire you to draw a picture, the smell of fresh bread can inspire you to bake. But what if something as simple as a logo can inspire you to design a house?
Karina Wiciak from Wamhouse Studios explains that some logos already look like buildings, so it was an interesting exercise to design them as houses. Karina created a series of 5 designs and one of them caught our attention. Can you guess why? Enter the Ringshouse.
This particular abode is the fifth in her series of houses inspired by automotive marks. However, as the designer emphasizes, the source of inspiration was also history – the history of a certain car brand and history of architecture. The four-ring logo itself, which resembles this building, is associated with the Audi brand, though the four-ring mark was created in the 1930s when Auto Union was formed. It makes sense then that she paired an Auto Union Type C Grand Prix racer, though looking a bit more road car in never-built black finish. The building also refers to modernist architecture that was popular at the time the Auto Unions were racing. Features typical of this style, such as raw concrete structures, rounded walls and windows, open internal space, large glazing – are reinterpreted here.
So it’s a contemporary building in an early 20th century sort of way, but as the author notes: “Everything that is created today is the result of evolution and a continuation of what was once created. Therefore, it is worth reminding about it, and the house design can be a great excuse to tell an interesting story and not only the history of architecture.”
The Ringshouse is a house in the form of four parallel cylinders. The daily usable floor area of the house is about 3013 square feet and covers only one floor but below is an underground garage with utility rooms.
The living area is very high and spacious, deliberately devoid of an additional floor despite the fact that a significant height of the structure would allow for one. The overall goal was to maintain the visibility of four ring bodies on the outside. Therefore, it is not a frugal home for a family but rather a spacious holiday residence situated amongst natural vegetation.
The above ground portion mainly includes large open rooms, partially fenced off with glass walls. These include: a corridor with an open lounge, dining room with music corner, large kitchen, office with library, two bedrooms with private bathrooms, three toilets, two separate wardrobes, and one pantry.
Would you live in a house like this? The open space would get the creative juices flowing and set a different perspective on life. As Audi states: “A design is timeless when it becomes a defining moment.” This goes hand in hand with the Ringshouse.
