A villa on the edge of a forest in a village near Warsaw is the latest project by the architects at 77 Studio of Architecture. The project by the 77 Studio of Architecture is distinguished by a particular respect for the context of the site. “The house on the edge” combines the two distinctly separate spaces of the estate and the forest. This luxurious villa humbly gives way to the natural qualities of its surroundings, discreetly immersing the architecture in the dense forest.
This small town near Warsaw boasts a palace and park complex located on the banks of the Vistula River and a nature reserve spreading out on its outskirts. Because of its history and the beauty of the surrounding landscape, it attracts both tourists and those who choose to live here permanently.
Small estates of detached houses with spacious villas are being built here, with an atmosphere reminiscent of the American suburbs. The plot on which the house designed by the Warsaw studio was built was located at the end of one such enclave, in the immediate vicinity of the forest. – We did not choose this place by accident. We knew the area and the nearby Bukowiec Jabłonowski reserve with its beautiful old trees very well. It felt as if the land here had been torn from the embrace of the forest,” recalls Mr Wojciech, the owner of the house. – For a long time, we had been thinking about a house in the modern style, which we particularly appreciate, something particularly refined and yet full of simplicity. This is why we entrusted the design task to the 77 Studio architecture studio, which is known for similar projects.
The primary objective became to fit the building into two aesthetically distinct spaces. – We thought of the house as a collective of a residential estate and a forest, creating an urbanistic and stylistic bridge between two orders of different character. This is how the idea of the “House on the Edge” was born – is told by its author Pawel Naduk, architect and owner of 77 Architecture Studio.
In an area dominated by massive, two-storey houses, the architect decided to achieve the effect of the gradual disappearance of the estate under the forest. He proposed lowering the height of the building and using natural materials that blend with the surroundings. The result is a single-storey house with a wooden façade in the form of a large pavilion. It is characterised by simplicity and an unusual economy of expression, particularly on the estate side. The minimalist wooden façade blends in perfectly with the woodland setting, while the details and high-quality materials attest to the fact that this is a luxurious and unusual building.
– According to our assumptions, from the beginning the house, although luxurious, was to be modest and unpretentious,” says architect Paweł Naduk. – The final result was a residence in the form of simple boxes of grey, unprotected wood, complemented by refined details. In our country, the acceptance of such a way of thinking about a high-class house is still a remarkable rarity, notes the architect.
The building was composed as a set of planes arranged between trees. The form adopted allowed for a controlled play of light in the rooms and the creation of many intimate garden areas while respecting the existing tree stand.
From the entrance, the homogeneous body of the building was reduced to two walls, corresponding with the buildings of the estate. On the street side, the house has no fence, and what might appear at first glance to be a wooden fence is in fact the façade of the building. It discreetly conceals the main entrance, with the garage doors only visible when the automatic wings swing open in the building monolith.
It is a different story from the forest itself, where the surroundings are intimate. Here, the boundary between inside and outside has been blurred with panes of glass. The interpenetration of one space with another is enhanced by the use of the same finishing materials inside and on the façade. In addition, the floors have been let outside beyond the building’s perimeter, and vegetation penetrates the interior. It enters patios and half patios, and appears behind a glass wall in the lobby, lounge and toilet. All of this gives one the feeling of living in a forest, while providing plenty of light in the interior.
The perfectly smooth plane of the walls and floors made of large-format quartz sinters in a uniform light colour scheme, becomes a stage for the play of light: the rays coming from the skylights, the shadows cast by the surrounding trees and the chiaroscuro created by the openwork pergolas on the terraces.
The projects of 77 Architecture Studio are very often characterised by a perfect coexistence with landscape architecture. It is no different here, where the plant continuation of the architects’ work has been entrusted to Małgorzata Sobótka of the Landscape Studio.
– Although the close forest surroundings are the main asset of this site, we did not want to allow the forest under the house itself. We created a gentle, harmonious transition between the old-growth forest and the space around the building used by the owners,” says the landscape architect.
The procedure consisted of introducing an intermediate floor in the garden, which separates the wild forest thicket with its centuries-old oaks from the carefully selected house plants. These are made up of small trees and woodland shrubs such as calla, bumblebee and ginkgo, which reflect the light strongly thanks to their bright foliage. Closer to the house, ferns, undergrowth and various evergreen perennials were planted. In this way, the effect of an illuminated forest glade was achieved. In the sunniest part of the garden, which is next to the pool and the terrace, space has been created for a functional lawn.
The 560-square-metre villa on the edge of the forest has the latest technology and equipment that is synonymous with luxury today. Inside there is a swimming pool, the walls of which can be extended on summer days, a spa area, an exercise room and an outdoor Jacuzzi. It is armed with an intelligent control system for lighting, air conditioning, heating, sliding curtains, audio, etc.
– ‘We tried to create a comfortable place for the owners to live, while being mindful not to dominate this beautiful place,’ adds arch. Paweł Naduk. – When realising high-budget houses, it is often an important and difficult aspect for investors to exercise restraint. We are glad that in this case the owners fully trusted us, thanks to which we worked together on every detail. We hope that the building, while meeting the very high requirements of the users, will also remain in a noble symbiosis with its surroundings.
Project metrics:
Building design: 77 Architecture Studio / https://77studio.pl/
Landscaping design: Małgorzata Sobótka / Landscape Studio / https://studiokrajobraz.pl/
Photos: Piotr Krajewski / https://pkrajewski.pl/
Residential floor area: 560m2
Project development date: 2017 r
Completion date: 2022 r.
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Single-family house | Elevation | Wood | Forest | Polish designers
