Balance Between Modern Design and the Lush Forest | Concrete House

Amidst a lush forest, the Concrete House, designed by PL Architekci for a family of four, boasts an impressive blend of concrete and organic elements.

From the outset, the idea was for the house to harmonize with the surrounding trees and naturally coexist with the landscape.

Moreover, the owner sought a material that could gracefully age in a forest environment and require minimal maintenance.

The house is divided into three distinct sections – the day, night, and garage spaces – all interconnected by a spacious glass corridor. This layout also ensured the desired level of privacy for the family members.

Sturdy concrete frames enclose each volume, providing not only structural support but also visually connecting the residence to the surrounding trees.

The expansive glass corridor that links these distinct sections serves more than just a passageway. It establishes a seamless connection between the interior and the forest, blurring boundaries and allowing natural light to dance through the building.

Concrete takes center stage, dominating roofs, floors, driveways, and walls. Circular shapes soften the angular structure, creating a visually appealing interplay of light and shadow. Wooden facades blend effortlessly with concrete, transforming into furniture cladding when viewed from the outside. This marriage of materials erases the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces, fostering a unique symbiosis of architecture, nature, and human habitation.

Incorporating plantings within openings further integrates the building into its landscape, adding a touch of green to the concrete canvas. The result is a masterpiece that not only serves as a dwelling but as a living part of the forest—a testament to the delicate balance between modern design and the natural world.

Credits:

Architects: PL.Architekci
Location: Poznan, Poland
Project Year: 2022
Photographs: Tom Kurek
Area: 499.0 m2

0:00 – Concrete House
1:26 – Glass corridor
2:54 – Living, dining, kitchen
6,52 – Bedrooms
9:14 – Drawings

Similar Posts

  • The Sanctuary

    The clients of The Sanctuary, recent empty-nesters planning ahead to retirement, hoped to downsize and simplify in the design of their new Palo Alto home. When the clients purchased the property, an old wooden fence across the front yard and original house closed off the site from the street. Behind this rough and aged presentation however was an urban refuge of lush vegetation throughout the deep lot. This sense of discovery served as the original inspiration for the design of the house and directed both architect and client to its culmination. The proximity of the downtown Palo Alto area by foot and bike was fundamental to the clients’ decision to purchase this lot, and their belief in building to a higher density in an urban setting lead to the inclusion of a second story apartment. The couple fell in love with the overgrown garden and its obvious potential, approaching Ground Studio Landscape to help them enhance the landscape; retaining scenes of serenity and surprise while creating more of a cohesive and modern feel. Through their collaboration with Ground Studio Landscape, the clients connected with our firm, bringing with them a desire to design a long-lasting modern house that fit comfortably into the surrounding neighborhood while featuring its unique and charming landscape. The house is sited quietly behind the large heritage oak tree with its canopy stretching across the generously sized front yard. After passing under its branches, guests are lead through a series of courtyards and view gardens that weave through the undulating footprint of the building. Each interior space is paired with its own landscape moment, allowing the architecture and landscape to flow into each other. The structure floats on piers, allowing the building to participate in dialogue with the trees on site while protecting the root areas. The floor plate projects beyond the building envelope and dissolves into balconies to blur the sense of indoor/outdoor while at the same time lifting the building up from the ground. Even the driveway is constructed out of floating concrete structural slabs supported on piers to minimize the impact on the heritage oak tree. By expanding the living area to spill into the outdoor spaces, our teams provided ample room for the clients to entertain their ever expanding family. Three pavilions span the depth of the lot. The thoughtfully placed second story apartment is designed for rentals. Below, board-formed concrete walls serve as organizing elements in the main residence which separate private from public areas. Diffused natural light streams into the space throughout the day, working gently with the clean material palette of concrete and Alaskan yellow cedar. The Sanctuary was constructed as a modern house that allows the landscape to speak first. The design features its many hidden courtyards, inviting guests to experience the same sense of wonder that first drew our clients to this urban oasis.