The folding facade of BYRÓ architekti’s Garden Pavillion beckons a tryst with nature

In a garden colony near the longest river in the Czech Republic, Vltava, lies an unassuming pavilion in a mature garden that is revered by its nature enthusiast owners. Designed by Czech studio BYRÓ architekti, the Garden Pavilion is a leisurely respite located in the middle of Prague among greenhouses, arbours and cottages, 10 minutes away on foot from the client’s apartment. The client desired a compact, modest shelter一on the site of an existing dilapidated cottage一that could withstand adverse weather conditions and serve as a space for summer overnight stays and plant storage during the winter. It is a single-storey wooden structure comprising a timber library with an integrated ladder to access the mezzanine floor lined with wood, along with minimal furniture such as a multipurpose table, chairs and stools.

As the structure is surrounded by dark, imperfect and charming small cottages and storage sheds, the architects used burnt spruce wood created from shou sugi ban technique, the  Japanese art of charred cedar, to achieve a similar exterior character. With five metres of maximum length and height, the facade design and interior design of the cottage exude a sense of minimalism and symmetry.

A spruce wood frame extends from the building’s mass to support a large folding mechanism, which is the key feature of the pavilion made from steel frames and joints, pulleys, counterweight mechanisms and translucent polycarbonate facade panels. As the shed opens up to the natural landscape, it acts as a shade for outdoor activities and allows the owners to savour the scenery from the inside even while it is pouring outside. For security purposes, the mechanism’s operation is limited from inside the pavilion; the main entrance to the space is through a door under the mezzanine floor.

Built on top of a concrete foundation, the building is constructed using the two-by-four method and uses a restricted material palette. The minimal design of the pavilion persists in its modest, simple and monotonous interiors, featuring larch wood flooring and spruce wood walls that are internally finished in plaster. The pavilion has a skylight and windows on either side of its door, a porthole on the lower level and a rectangular window on the level of the mezzanine, which gives the interiors an airy and spacious feel, despite having a compact 16 square metres of footprint. The openings allow natural light into the space and offer views of the outdoors, creating a warm, cosy environment for the occupants when the folding mechanism is closed.

“We primarily perceive architecture as a matter of connections…in space, time and between people,” says the Prague-based studio BYRÓ architekti in the press release. Founded in 2018 by Czech architects Tomáš Hanus and Jan Holub, the studio has done several reconstruction and conceptual study projects along with designing new private and public buildings. The practice focuses on dialogues between organic and built environments and creates contextual designs that best cater to the client’s needs.

The architects ensure that the client’s appreciation for the environment translates into every facet of the architecture of the Garden Pavilion. Keeping sustainability and self-sufficiency in mind, the pavilion features timber architecture and timber design across the interiors, being completely off the grid and operating on solar energy to fulfil its essential needs. Giving an identity to the mature garden and the surrounding landscape, the pavilion design embodies the client’s connection with nature and facilitates intimate and snug trysts with nature.

Project Details

Name: Garden Pavilion
Architects: BYRÓ architekti
Civil Engineer: Viktor Bakstein
Location: Prague
Built-up area: 16 sqm
Usable floor area: 20 sqm
Plot area: 5130 sqm
Project Budget: 38,000 €
Year of Completion: 2023