We have designed a house project for a young family in a small village near Plzeň on a highly sloped plot with views of the landscape and the adjacent pine forest. The proximity of the forest was crucial for the investors not only when purchasing the land but also for the project itself.
The presence of the forest brings not only a beautiful natural scenery but also a protected zone (in our case, 10 meters) where no construction can be placed. The protected zone defined the sloping shape of all floors and became a part of the house design.
The plot slopes towards the north, while the forest is located on the eastern boundary of the parcel. The investor’s requirement was to design a house that not only blends in with the natural character of the location but also allows for views of the forest and landscape from the living room, while maintaining maximum privacy when looking from the western boundary of the plot (where the house is adjacent to a single neighbor). Therefore, we designed the house with three floors, each defining different residential zones.
The first underground floor connects to the access road and includes a spacious garage, main entrance, technical facilities, and a small spa area.
On the first above-ground floor, you will find the daytime living area of the house, featuring a spacious living room with large windows overlooking the forest and smaller windows facing the terrace with a swimming pool. Above a section of the terrace, there is a cantilevered structure of the second above-ground floor, creating a naturally covered outdoor seating area. The second above-ground floor accommodates the parents’ zone, children’s rooms, and a study. All three floors are connected to the adjacent terrain through terraces and outdoor living areas, maximizing the integration of the house with the garden and creating a continuous circulation.
A significant aspect was the choice of materials for the facade to ensure that the house blends harmoniously with the surrounding forest while retaining its own identity. Ultimately, a combination of exposed concrete, vegetation, darker wood, and aluminum windows was chosen.
