This Polish House is at One With the Trees

When Warsaw architect, Jakub Szczesny, was commissioned to build a family home in the protected forest of Podkowa Lesna, he was challenged in his efforts to create a comfortable and alluring living space. Local ordinances required the many tall, skinny and tightly packed trees remain unharmed during this project and dictated what parts of the land could be used by Szczesny. To accomplish this task, the house was designed using a Voronoi diagram to help determine the best position for each room in the house.  In addition, a raised platform provides extra space for the roots of the trees to grow. To accommodate existing trees, there is a walled-in void made of glass in the center of the house connecting the outside environment with the indoor space.  “We knew that the trees gave the potential for a unique house entering in a relationship with its layout, giving an opportunity for trees to grow and creating specific framing of the trees from inside,” Szczesny told Dezeen Magazine.