Along the winding banks of Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, a remarkable home by 77 Studio redefines what it means to build within nature rather than on top of it. Known as the House in the Slope, this single-family residence is embedded into a riverside embankment, allowing it to merge seamlessly with the terrain. With a corten steel facade, a planted green roof, and a design that preserves natural contours, the home prioritizes privacy, quiet, and panoramic views, all while leaving minimal visual impact on its surroundings.
The home occupies the owner’s favorite spot on the property, a ledge offering layered views of riverside vegetation, the distant city skyline, and the dynamic flow of the Vistula River. Rather than aligning the structure with the plot’s borders, the architects rotated it to follow the site’s most breathtaking sightlines. This orientation became the backbone of the design, ensuring that almost every room opens toward unobstructed vistas.
Designer: Studio 77
Much of the house is embedded into the slope, which helps it blend into the land, improves thermal efficiency, and shields the interior from prying eyes. This approach turns the architecture into a quiet frame for the view, rather than a visual interruption.
Arrival is a carefully orchestrated experience. The entrance is carved into the slope like a steel-lined ravine, leading down a sunken driveway to a recessed patio and front door. This approach conceals the river view until the moment one steps inside, heightening the impact of the reveal. The corten steel used along the driveway and facade has a rich, weathered patina that harmonizes with the surrounding soil and grasses, grounding the structure in its setting.
Above, the home is cloaked in a green roof planted with species native to the riverbank. From higher ground, the structure nearly disappears, restoring the meadow and protecting local sightlines. The living roof not only enhances insulation but also supports local biodiversity, reinforcing the sense that the house belongs to the slope, not imposed upon it.
Inside, the architecture is oriented to frame nature. A 12-meter-wide sliding glass door in the main living space opens an entire wall to the river, turning the interior into an open-air pavilion. Courtyards and patios cut into the slope draw daylight deep into the home and allow natural ventilation, all while preserving the discreet profile of the building.
The main terrace flows naturally from the living room toward the river, following the site’s gentle incline rather than rising above it. This design makes it feel less like a platform and more like a continuation of the landscape. A discreet stairway leads to the rooftop meadow, allowing residents to enjoy elevated views without leaving the slope’s embrace. From this vantage point, the river, vegetation, and skyline unfold in their full drama. The ascent feels organic, as if walking uphill rather than climbing onto a building.
The House in the Slope is a masterclass in architectural humility. By embedding itself in the terrain, aligning with natural contours, and restoring the meadow above, 77 Studio created a home that doesn’t dominate the view; it defers to it. It’s a dwelling that lives with the landscape, not against it.
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