Outside in
Love the outdoor life but don't mind the comforts of a roof over your head? This forest home strives to be at one with its unspoilt natural surroundings
Designed by Lina Koníček Bellovičová, Ateliér Lina Bellovičová
The owner loves nature and forests. Before having children he led a life of a modern nomad.
He owned a site in the middle of the woods and had always dreamt about building a cabin there.
During winter he used to live in the city and in spring he relocated to his parents' cabin nearby the future building site of the house.
The homeowner wanted his house to be connected to the surrounding nature, to be ecological, and to have his own photo chamber there, so he could spend his winter evenings developing his photos.
He also had a clear idea about the building material. As hempcrete has never been used as a building material in the Czech Republic, it was a great challenge for me as an architect.
And this challenge evolved into a valuable experience and a fascination with hempcrete’s features and its history.
Essentially, Hempcrete is a biocomposite material, a mixture of hemp hurds (shives) and lime, sand, or pozzolans.
Building with hempcrete is easy and allows the builder to build their house on their own. The material petrifies for several years and draws carbon dioxide from the air around during this process.
The house is defined by three elements – essentially, two perforated stone blocks and a thin wooden sheet over the top. The void in between the stones is the living space of the house.
The interior is separated from the surrounding nature by large sliding windows that allow the space to become part of the outdoors and frame picturesque views.
The two stone forms contain the entrance, two bedrooms and a bathroom.
Below ground the house has a cellar with technical facilities, a photo studio, club room and storage.
A large terrace runs around the house, being protected from bad weather by the roof overhang, so that the owner can spend as much time outside as possible.
The roof is covered with a green carpet, so that the house merges with nature and is well insulated.
The layout of the house is designed to use its space to the fullest. The house will gradually become part of the nature.
First it will be a home to a family with two children, later become a family summer retreat and even later a comfortable home for an elderly couple.
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