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Forest ENGAWA
Forest ENGAWA
Miłoszyce, Poland
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Other Projects by MUS ARCHITECTS
Forest ENGAWA
Miłoszyce, Poland
Firm
Type
STATUS
Concept
YEAR
2029
SIZE
1000 sqft - 3000 sqft
BUDGET
$500K - 1M
The term "Forest Engawa" is a combination of a Japanese architectural element and the context of our project.
The project of a single-family house in Miłoszyce near Wrocław is a contemporary interpretation of a single-story pavilion immersed in a forest clearing. The building was conceived as a calm, horizontal form that does not dominate the landscape but enters into an equal dialogue with it. The starting point was the need to create a house with a distinct identity while being maximally integrated with the surrounding forest and the daily routine of its inhabitants.
Concept, Context, and Assumptions
The architecture of the house is shaped by a combination of Japan-inspired minimalism with functionality and warmth characteristic of Scandinavian interiors. We treat the house as an instrument for perceiving the landscape - a space that filters light, frames views, and invites nature inside instead of defending against it. Key here is the concept of "borrowed landscape" (shakkei): the forest background becomes a natural extension of the interiors, not just scenery seen from a window.
The design assumption involved a conscious blurring of the boundary between interior and exterior. Instead of building a massive, closed structure, we decided on a pavilion structure -- light, expansive, with strongly emphasized horizontal roofline and wide porches. The house is meant to be not so much "an object in the forest" as a fragment of a forest clearing subtly formed into functional shelter.
Form and Functional Layout
The building is single-story, with an area of 200 m², divided into three interconnected wings that converge in a central entrance node. This "hub" serves as a clear orientation point -- upon crossing the threshold, the user intuitively understands where the daytime area is, where the sleeping zone is, and where the technical facilities and garage are. The entrance space integrates the wardrobe, hall, and circulation, forming a buffer between the external world and home.
The daytime wing occupies the most privileged part of the plot, opening with large-format glazing to the south and west. It houses a spacious living room with a fireplace, dining room, and kitchen with an island and pantry. We abandoned the traditional division into separate rooms in favor of a unified, flowing space where zones interpenetrate but remain clearly organized. The floor of the living room, dining room, and kitchen at one level "flows out" onto the terrace, so that the daytime space functions as one, expandable organism.
The sleeping wing has been rotated at an angle relative to the main axis of the house. This planning gesture is not merely a formal device -- it allows cutting off the bedrooms from potential noise sources and hiding them from direct view from the driveway and terrace. The sleeping zone contains two children's rooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom with its own bathroom and wardrobe. The corridor leading to this part acts as an acoustic and psychological filter, allowing household members to withdraw from the bustle of the daytime zone.
The utility-garage wing has been located on the entrance side, serving as the "hard," pragmatic part of the house. It houses the garage, technical rooms, laundry, and guest room or study. This part of the building organizes the entrance-driveway zone.
Interpenetration of Interior and Landscape
The daytime zone was designed as a maximally transparent pavilion. Large-format, sliding windows with thin profiles run from floor to ceiling and are flush with the floor level. When the partitions are slid open, they disappear - the living room, terrace, and surrounding forest become one continuous space. In this way, the house works in rhythm with nature: in summer, residents live at the junction of interior and garden; in winter, the forest still remains the main character, framed by window frames.
A key role is played by deeply extended roof eaves, which create extensive porches around the house - a contemporary interpretation of the Japanese engawa. This "third zone" between interior and exterior is a place for rest, work, and nature observation, functioning regardless of weather. The porches protect the glass from rain and snow, allow for ventilation of the house during summer storms, and regulate the amount of sunlight entering the interior.
On the privacy side, a multi-layered system of visual filters has been applied. Protection from the entrance and access road is provided by tall hedges, greenery, dense wooden palisades, and a system of internal screens, which together limit the view from the street and allow dosing the degree of intimacy and openness.
Climate, Light, and Materials
The "Forest Engawa" house was designed as a building responding to the local climate in a passive way. Deep eaves limit overheating in summer while simultaneously letting in low winter sun to the interior, allowing concrete floors to heat up. The thermal mass consists primarily of poured concrete floors - they heat up during the day and release heat in the evening, supporting the operation of heating systems.
The material palette is deliberately limited to emphasize the calmness of the composition and expose the natural aging of surfaces. Concrete creates a strong, "grounding" base that contrasts with the warmth of wooden frames and cladding. Natural wood, used both inside and under the eaves, visually binds the interior with the exterior, and its structure and patina add nobility to the building over time. Glass and slender aluminum profiles do not compete with the landscape - they are merely meant to gently mark frames.
The interiors are maintained in the Japandi spirit: light, natural wood tones, muted beiges, grays, and greens dominate, with simple furniture forms and a limited number of objects. We consciously reduce the number of stimuli so that daylight, shadows cast by tree crowns, and changing seasons can take the leading role. The house thus becomes a calm background for life, rather than a stage dominated by the architecture itself.
Garden and Surroundings
We treat land development as an equal element of the project. The forest does not end at the property boundary - it is drawn into the depth of the plot through complementary plantings, grasses, and shrubs. The lawn does not serve as a "carpet" cut off from nature but interpenetrates with compositions of boulders and plants, referencing naturalistic gardens and rock gardens. The driveway and entrance were designed so that from the moment of entering the property, the user is gradually calmed down, led from the rhythm of the city to the rhythm of the forest.
Conclusion
The house in Miłoszyce is for us an attempt to create a contemporary, single-story pavilion that lives in full symbiosis with the forest. We combine here the Japanese idea of soft, relational architecture with the functionality and comfort of a family home, designing a space conducive to calming down, mindfulness, and daily contact with nature.
This is what "Forest Engawa" is all about
The project of a single-family house in Miłoszyce near Wrocław is a contemporary interpretation of a single-story pavilion immersed in a forest clearing. The building was conceived as a calm, horizontal form that does not dominate the landscape but enters into an equal dialogue with it. The starting point was the need to create a house with a distinct identity while being maximally integrated with the surrounding forest and the daily routine of its inhabitants.
Concept, Context, and Assumptions
The architecture of the house is shaped by a combination of Japan-inspired minimalism with functionality and warmth characteristic of Scandinavian interiors. We treat the house as an instrument for perceiving the landscape - a space that filters light, frames views, and invites nature inside instead of defending against it. Key here is the concept of "borrowed landscape" (shakkei): the forest background becomes a natural extension of the interiors, not just scenery seen from a window.
The design assumption involved a conscious blurring of the boundary between interior and exterior. Instead of building a massive, closed structure, we decided on a pavilion structure -- light, expansive, with strongly emphasized horizontal roofline and wide porches. The house is meant to be not so much "an object in the forest" as a fragment of a forest clearing subtly formed into functional shelter.
Form and Functional Layout
The building is single-story, with an area of 200 m², divided into three interconnected wings that converge in a central entrance node. This "hub" serves as a clear orientation point -- upon crossing the threshold, the user intuitively understands where the daytime area is, where the sleeping zone is, and where the technical facilities and garage are. The entrance space integrates the wardrobe, hall, and circulation, forming a buffer between the external world and home.
The daytime wing occupies the most privileged part of the plot, opening with large-format glazing to the south and west. It houses a spacious living room with a fireplace, dining room, and kitchen with an island and pantry. We abandoned the traditional division into separate rooms in favor of a unified, flowing space where zones interpenetrate but remain clearly organized. The floor of the living room, dining room, and kitchen at one level "flows out" onto the terrace, so that the daytime space functions as one, expandable organism.
The sleeping wing has been rotated at an angle relative to the main axis of the house. This planning gesture is not merely a formal device -- it allows cutting off the bedrooms from potential noise sources and hiding them from direct view from the driveway and terrace. The sleeping zone contains two children's rooms, a bathroom, and a master bedroom with its own bathroom and wardrobe. The corridor leading to this part acts as an acoustic and psychological filter, allowing household members to withdraw from the bustle of the daytime zone.
The utility-garage wing has been located on the entrance side, serving as the "hard," pragmatic part of the house. It houses the garage, technical rooms, laundry, and guest room or study. This part of the building organizes the entrance-driveway zone.
Interpenetration of Interior and Landscape
The daytime zone was designed as a maximally transparent pavilion. Large-format, sliding windows with thin profiles run from floor to ceiling and are flush with the floor level. When the partitions are slid open, they disappear - the living room, terrace, and surrounding forest become one continuous space. In this way, the house works in rhythm with nature: in summer, residents live at the junction of interior and garden; in winter, the forest still remains the main character, framed by window frames.
A key role is played by deeply extended roof eaves, which create extensive porches around the house - a contemporary interpretation of the Japanese engawa. This "third zone" between interior and exterior is a place for rest, work, and nature observation, functioning regardless of weather. The porches protect the glass from rain and snow, allow for ventilation of the house during summer storms, and regulate the amount of sunlight entering the interior.
On the privacy side, a multi-layered system of visual filters has been applied. Protection from the entrance and access road is provided by tall hedges, greenery, dense wooden palisades, and a system of internal screens, which together limit the view from the street and allow dosing the degree of intimacy and openness.
Climate, Light, and Materials
The "Forest Engawa" house was designed as a building responding to the local climate in a passive way. Deep eaves limit overheating in summer while simultaneously letting in low winter sun to the interior, allowing concrete floors to heat up. The thermal mass consists primarily of poured concrete floors - they heat up during the day and release heat in the evening, supporting the operation of heating systems.
The material palette is deliberately limited to emphasize the calmness of the composition and expose the natural aging of surfaces. Concrete creates a strong, "grounding" base that contrasts with the warmth of wooden frames and cladding. Natural wood, used both inside and under the eaves, visually binds the interior with the exterior, and its structure and patina add nobility to the building over time. Glass and slender aluminum profiles do not compete with the landscape - they are merely meant to gently mark frames.
The interiors are maintained in the Japandi spirit: light, natural wood tones, muted beiges, grays, and greens dominate, with simple furniture forms and a limited number of objects. We consciously reduce the number of stimuli so that daylight, shadows cast by tree crowns, and changing seasons can take the leading role. The house thus becomes a calm background for life, rather than a stage dominated by the architecture itself.
Garden and Surroundings
We treat land development as an equal element of the project. The forest does not end at the property boundary - it is drawn into the depth of the plot through complementary plantings, grasses, and shrubs. The lawn does not serve as a "carpet" cut off from nature but interpenetrates with compositions of boulders and plants, referencing naturalistic gardens and rock gardens. The driveway and entrance were designed so that from the moment of entering the property, the user is gradually calmed down, led from the rhythm of the city to the rhythm of the forest.
Conclusion
The house in Miłoszyce is for us an attempt to create a contemporary, single-story pavilion that lives in full symbiosis with the forest. We combine here the Japanese idea of soft, relational architecture with the functionality and comfort of a family home, designing a space conducive to calming down, mindfulness, and daily contact with nature.
This is what "Forest Engawa" is all about
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