House with gills

At first sight, an unremarkable family home, but at second look, a truly fascinating building that blends in with the surrounding landscape.

Author: Rado Buzinkay, Andrej Ferenčík, Jakub Viskupič, architektonický ateliér BEEF ARCHITEKTI

Photo: Matěj Hakár

Where: Záhorská Bystrica, Slovensko

The "house with gills," as the architects themselves call it, protects its inhabitants from the outside world while connecting them with nature. This is thanks to the sloping walls, which act as a living filter for light, air, and privacy. The most striking feature of the house is the sloping walls around its perimeter, visually reminiscent of gills, which protect the interior from outside view but at the same time allow unobstructed views of the garden. The only fully exposed façade is the one that offers an unobstructed view of the idyllic forests of the Malé Karpaty.

The house is mainly laid out on the ground floor, where the main living area spreads around the atrium – an open living space connecting the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The visual connection to the garden is also fully evident here. The ground floor of the house also includes the night area, consisting of several bedrooms, which, thanks to the aforementioned sloping walls, ensure complete privacy for the residents. Each bedroom has direct access to the terrace. On the upper floor, there is a smaller pavilion with a wellness area, sauna, and seating area with a view of Pajštún Castle.

The entire interior of the house is based on natural materials that enhance the impression of harmony with the surrounding landscape. Oak wood dominates – in the form of natural veneer on furniture, wall coverings, and floors, stained in places to a darker shade. This contrasts with black lacquered sheet metal, which is used, for example, for the entire kitchen island, the staircase nearby, and the bookcase in the living room. The latter visually repeats the frog motive – it is made up of sloping walls, so the books are only visible from one angle.

The line of black accents is complemented by handles on all doors, windows, and HS portals, selected in a matte black titanium finish. For this project, the architects chose the MINIMAL hardware collection, which includes not only elements for doors and windows, but also handles for all-glass doors, shells for sliding systems, locks, and door stops—in short, a complete solution for unifying the entire project into a single design. The collection also allows for maximum individuality in any interior thanks to its range of seventeen finishes.

Architect Rado Buzinkay adds: "The simple design of MINIMAL handles from Czech manufacturer M&T is often our first choice. Not only does it contribute to the overall cleanliness of the solution, but thanks to the wide range of colors and accessories, it easily fits into the concept of any interior."

The architects used the comprehensive Minimal range for the windows and doors.

Thanks to its conceptual purity, ecological approach, and harmonious relationship with nature, the "House with Gills" ranks among the most interesting contemporary examples of Slovak architecture. It is not just a house, but a living organism that breathes, reacts, and helps shape the landscape into which it naturally fits.

We also use cookies to make our site work