This Hungarian mass timber house blends seamlessly into its natural environment | News

Hungarian design-build studio Hello Wood has shared its latest home with us, seamlessly blending into its rural surroundings and bridging the gap between the natural environment and engineered objects. 

Located in rural Hungary, CLT House is approximately 1,453 square feet and fully equipped. It features a 377-square-foot main living space and a 161-square-foot guest room. 

The main space includes a kitchen, bathroom, living room, and a bedroom. The living space connects with built-in glass doors and windows to a terrace that extends over the adjacent fishpond. 

The architects put emphasis on making the home organically fit into the natural habitat, which is evident through the way the terrace’s shape follows the water’s curve. The home is also dug into a small mound making it unassuming. Its green rooftop further enhances its connection to nature.

CLT House’s interior and exterior spaces feature a contrasting material palette. The interior channels warmth through its wooden cross-laminated timber walls, while the exterior façade is treated with yakisugi, which provides the dark gray tone. The lighter wood penetrates the exterior through the terrace, softening the differences between the light and dark spaces.

The entrance of the home was designed to be progressively uncovered by visitors, in which everything but a shark fin-like chimney is hidden until one descends down the stairs and is met with views of the pond.