The House in the Woods project site was a challenge for Officina29 Architetti, where the strong, powerful presence of oak trees and the sloping terrain imposed a design that blurs the boundary between building and landscape. The suspended, simple, orthogonal form of the house fits perfectly into the oak forest, a striking setting where the majestic trees surround and touch the building with their branches. Each natural element has been respected and not even one tree has been cut down to make room for the house. The reinforced concrete pillars hold the structure, which floats above the ground and native underwood plants. The new structure is actually an annex to the existing house, detached completely from it.
The versatile two-space interior offers a possibility to switch the game room into a living room, with a kitchenette, a bathroom and a bedroom. The openings are large and contemporary, and the glass walls reflect wonderfully the surrounding context, making it literally part of the interior. The building is characterized by limited dimensions and height, almost to highlight by contrast the grandeur of the surrounding trees. These dimensions needed the furniture made to measure to the small size of the building.
The study of landscape project in this context is basically built around one main idea: the desire to establish a dialogue between the new volume and semi-natural forest surrounding. The vegetation is organised into defined shapes that recall the layout of the wooden walkway and the structure of the new building. This walkway marks a new path that flows through the trees between the main house and the new volume. It offers a new perspective to those who want to spend time outside and becomes a place of rest and reflection, immersed in the tranquility of the forest-garden. The native underwood plants are preserved and enhanced through complex vegetation combinations, easy to maintain and suitable for a shaded environment.
Info and images courtesy of Joao Morgado – Architecture Photography
