Sofia, Bulgaria-based architecture firm, I/O Architects, has found the ideal balance between privacy and views with the Observation House in northeast Bulgaria. The hilltop home utilizes stone partitions and glass walls to create a 360-degree view over the village, without sacrificing a bit of privacy.
The stone-filled cages, or stacked gabions, guard the building with a hearty exterior that keeps outsiders from peeping. A pavilion-like structure made of glass rests on top of the building with a large pitched roof, and a grassy deck outside of the main living area fosters a nice blend between the natural surroundings and the indoors.
Wooden stairways connect open-plan living spaces within the home and roof garden, which is clad with locally-source wood. The green roof was designed to offer a sense of softness in contrast to the roughness brought by the stone cages.
“The proportion and the materiality of the solid base give it the appearance of an infrastructural object that define the edge of the village and conceal the ambitious program of the house," the architects told Dezeen.
Visit Dezeen to find out more about the project.
