House Design: Blending with Nature's Serenity

Designed by 77 Studio, The House on the Slope is a striking yet understated single-family home nestled into a riverbank hillside along Poland’s Vistula River. With its sunken form, Corten steel façade, and lush green roof, this architectural marvel blends seamlessly into the natural terrain, prioritizing privacy, tranquility, and breathtaking views while minimizing its visual impact on the surrounding landscape.

This modern home vanishes into the hillside with a green roof, corten steel facade, and panoramic river views.

A Harmonious Dialogue with Nature

Perched on the edge of Poland’s longest river, the home was strategically positioned to frame the owner’s favorite vantage point a spot celebrated for its layered riverside vistas, distant city skyline, and ever-changing waters. The dramatic natural setting and openness of the location were pivotal in shaping the final design.

Rather than conforming to traditional plot boundaries, the house was rotated to align with the best sightlines across the river. This decision influenced the entire structure, ensuring uninterrupted panoramic views from nearly every room. A significant portion of the home is embedded into the hillside, allowing it to visually vanish into the landscape while enhancing thermal efficiency and privacy.

A Hidden Entrance: A Steel-Clad Passage

The entrance is carved into the slope like a Corten steel canyon, leading to a secluded courtyard and front door designed to conceal the view until the moment of entry. The weathered steel, used extensively along the passageway and façade, gives the home a rugged, timeless aesthetic while harmonizing with the earthy terrain.

A Living Roof: Invisible from Above

To preserve the natural meadows above, the entire home is crowned with a native-species green roof, rendering it nearly invisible from higher ground. This thoughtful feature reduces visual disruption, protects local sightlines, and reinforces the illusion that the house is an organic extension of the hillside not an imposition upon it.

To avoid disrupting the natural meadow above, the entire home is covered by a planted green roof using species native to the riverbank.

Expansive Openings: Framing the River

Large, strategically placed windows capture carefully curated views of the river, slope, and surrounding greenery. A 12-meter sliding glass wall in the living area opens the entire southeast side to the outdoors, erasing boundaries between interior and exterior. Smaller courtyards and light wells carved into the slope allow natural daylight and ventilation without compromising the home’s low-profile silhouette.

A Terrace Merging with the Landscape

The terrace extends directly from the main living space, facing the river in perfect alignment with the sun’s path. Rather than hovering above the landscape, it functions as a threshold an embedded plane within the slope itself, blurring the line between architecture and nature.

Large openings frame specific views of the river, slope, and vegetation. The 12-meter-wide sliding door in the living area allows the entire southeast wall to open up to the outdoors.

A Secret Staircase to the Rooftop Oasis

A hidden set of stairs invites residents to experience the fully accessible green roof as an extension of the landscape. From this elevated perch, the Vistula River and surrounding flora unfold in full splendor, creating a seamless transition as if walking along the hillside rather than ascending a man-made structure.

A discreet set of stairs leads up to the rooftop, inviting residents to fully experience the green roof as an extension of the landscape.

Conclusion: Architecture That Disappears

The House on the Slope demonstrates how architecture can exist in plain sight yet remain unseen. By embedding itself into the terrain, conforming to natural contours, and preserving the wild character of the land, 77 Studio has crafted a home that doesn’t dominate the view it elevates it.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

This architectural gem redefines harmony between human habitation and nature, masterfully embedding itself into the Vistula riverside with a Corten steel façade and living roof. The design’s brilliance lies in its unobtrusive presence, framing panoramic views while nearly vanishing into the hillside. However, one might critique the heavy reliance on steel and angular forms, which, though striking, could feel austere compared to softer, biophilic alternatives. Yet, the home’s true success is its philosophical approach architecture as a silent companion to the landscape, not a dominant force. A testament to how design can celebrate place without imposing upon it.

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