Built in a Polish nature reserve, this minimalist house blends into its natural home

Inside Poland’s pristine Brodnica Landscape Park, the latest project by Polish architecture studio Dom Architektów uses local materials and sustainable techniques to camouflage itself within its natural surroundings.

Built for a private client, the house is positioned within an area of lush lakes and woods in northern Poland. Inspired by traditional Polish barns, the single-storey, one-bedroom home has a compact, minimalist, rectangular shape. On one side, a panoramic glass wall and porch opens the house up to a view of the nearby river. The neutral interior combines spruce wood furnishing with white walls to imitate the colours of the forest, while each room is connected to a surrounding terrace, reducing barriers between the inside and outside world.

Established in 2014, Dom Architektów specialises in sustainable wooden houses, and the promotion of Polish craftsmanship. The architects say sustainability is at the heart of the Brodnica design: the house was pre-built in modules and mounted above the ground, minimising the impact on the landscape. To avoid flooding, the home stands on metal feet that lift the structure a few centimetres above the land.

But in an area where heavy rain and heatwaves are common, wooden houses offer other advantages beyond aesthetics. While the outside of the building is covered by black metal, the inside is made from plywood panels, with a high thermal capacity that keeps heat and humidity at bay.