A vast, sandy plot of land overgrown with pine forest created a unique setting for an unusual house located in Izabelin. Circle Wood House from {tag:pracownie} hides its circular body in the thick of the forest. The project was awarded in the Architecture Single Residence category of the 2021-2022 European Property Awards.
The EPA is the European edition of the International Property Awards, which dates back to 1993. It is one of the largest and most prestigious competitions, promoting architecture, interiors and real estate in the world.
The Nagordozny Circle Wood House resembles a form hollowed out from the trunk of a huge tree, and its interior was designed by reduction. The investors are lovers of nature and art, so they were keen on opening the house to the surrounding Kampinos National Park and interiors reminiscent of gallery spaces. Mobius Architects made it possible to fulfill these dreams, through large glazing, but also by placing trees inside the building. They succeeded by creating an atrium, with tall pine trees growing out of the central part. The house does not overwhelm in size, thanks to an overhanging oval frame that encloses the garage development and the open spa area in a harmonious circle.
The facade of the house is made of Okume wood
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
The 400-square-meter building was constructed with a reinforced concrete structure clad with panels of Okume wood, which comes from West Africa. This exotic, elegant and knotless wood perfectly integrated the building into the forest surroundings. With its materials, colors and oval form, the house harmoniously immerses itself in the natural landscape of the forest.
Atrium with tall pine trees
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
a house like a tree trunk
As Przemek Olczyk explains the idea of the project:
I thought of the house as a big piece of trunk. Designing through reduction resembled carving pockets of rooms and intimate, semi-private, glazed alcoves into the wood. In this way, users can feel as if they are constantly walking among the trees. There is plenty of glazing blurring boundaries. The plot provides the freedom, even intimacy of communing with nature and architecture.
Intimate, semi-private, glazed recesses in the facade
Photo: Paweł Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
interior like an art gallery
Investors value privacy, but they did not want to close themselves off to the beauty of the surroundings. The solution became an atrium, which introduces nature into interiors full of daylight, natural materials and spacious glazing.
A ribbon of white stairs is a strong accent
Photo: Pawel Ulatowski © Mobius Architects
The materials that appeared inside the house was a natural consequence of the choice of materials on the outside of the building. They correspond with each other and often merge with each other. This is also a characteristic of our other projects," says Przemek Olczyk.
The interiors of the house bring to mind a private art gallery designed in harmony with nature. A strong and artistic accent is the wrapped ribbon of the staircase referring to the round form of the building. Recesses cut into the walls allowed for clear zoning of individual functions, providing a sense of privacy and contact with nature. The Circle Wood House, looking like a tree trunk, rising from between the sandy-forestlandscape, blends into the landscape thanks to its simple form and minimalist means of expression.
