This small diner on a Baltic Sea beach near Gdansk with its simple form fits naturally into the beach environment. The building offers two areas: an opaque part with windows and a fully glazed winter garden. The transparent glass house not only offers an unrestricted view of the sea and the beach but also uses solar energy in a passive way to improve indoor comfort in a relatively cool climate in northern Poland. The Solarlux system construction of the winter garden with its slim wood-aluminum profiles enables a filigree effect.

Peter Kuczia is an educator and expert in sustainable constructions with more than twenty years of experience. In 2008 he completed his Ph.D. dissertation on solar architecture in Germany. He is an author of ‘Educating Buildings – Learning Sustainability through Displayed Design’. He has been awarded multiple international prizes, including main International awards. His work has been exhibited and published around the world. He is a jury member in international competitions and initiator and curator of the Design that Educates Awards.

For more than 35 years, Solarlux has represented exceptional quality in the production of bi-folding doors, glass extensions and facade solutions. Founded by Herbert Holtgreife and based in the town of Melle, north-west Germany, the company is now managed by Holtgreife’s son, Stefan. Around 900 passionate staff bursting with ideas, who form the daily backbone for the family-owned company’s success. Architects, home owners, professional craft businesses, private customers and apartment companies alike all come to Solarlux for top-quality service and technical perfection in their glazing products.