Project: Observation House
Architects: I/O Architects
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Area: 10,548 sqft
Photographs by: Assen Emilov
Observation House by I/O Architects
The Observation House project is a private residence designed by I/O Architects in a village near Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
The plot on which it is built is located on a small hill that provides beautiful overwatch of the landscapes around it and that is one of the main motivators for the unique design of this home. It utilizes a creative concept and a juxtaposition of materials in order to provide privacy as well as 360-degree views of the landscape.
The house is located on a hill in the highest corner of a village amid an agricultural area in Northeast Bulgaria.
The site of the project is distinguished both by its panoramic views and distant visibility. In order to strengthen them, a part of the program is located in the seemingly blind bastion-like volume and the living area is elevated high on it. This brings view completion up to 360 degree and privacy in the fully opened space above.The pitched roof connects geometrically the upper volume with the base and adds complexity in the interior space while the oversized eaves connect it to the little meadow around and exaggerate the hovering effect of the slim metal structure. 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 only perforation leads to the cave like space of the entrance hall / garage. The materiality of the interior spaces is dominated by local species wood cladding, which balances the roughness of the entire structure and its surroundings.
