House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio features walls built from rock-filled cages
The walls of this house in Poland by Kropka Studio are covered in gabion baskets filled with the same local limestone used to build nearby castles and churches (+ slideshow).
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468c_1.jpg)
Kraków-based Kropka Studio designed the property for a family of four, who asked for enough space to host large gatherings at a plot near the city of Zawiercie, on the edge of the protected Eagles' Nest Landscape Park.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
The site is within a region known as Polish Jura, where the hilly landscape of limestone rocks, cliffs and valleys have influenced the appearance of vernacular architecture, including churches, castles and farm buildings.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468c_0a.jpg)
Gabions filled with loose rocks or soil are more typically used as stabilisation to prevent erosion and for other engineering applications, but in this case they form a decorative layer surrounding the house.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
"Gabion cages were used as an outer cladding to reflect local building tradition in a modern way," architect Gosia Łapaj told Dezeen. "They provide a type of camouflage net which covers the bright, spacious interior."
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
The cages are stacked on top of each other and fixed to the house's structural walls, providing a cost-effective and durable cladding that utilises a locally available material.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
Traditional building styles and planning restrictions also influenced the shape of the house, including the requirement to include a pitched roof, which has been covered with titanium zinc sheets.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
The main volume of the property is connected to a lower flat-roofed garage by a walkway made from timber battens, which provides some shade while allowing light to penetrate.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
Wooden boards were also used to clad a bedroom unit that projects into the garden and a triangular bay that sticks out next to the kitchen area.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_20.jpg)
The wood-lined walkway leads to an entrance corridor that opens into a double-height living space with a ceiling that follows the shape of the pitched roof.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_17.jpg)
A staircase near the entrance was constructed from steel, with oak treads that cantilever from the frame to give it a visually light appearance.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_14.jpg)
The main living area is filled with daylight via large glass doors. These slide open to connect the space with a wooden deck projecting out into the garden.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_22.jpg)
The bedroom wing forms the shorter section of the L-shaped plan and has its own small deck, as well as an en-suite bathroom featuring wooden surfaces similar to those found on the exterior.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_15.jpg)
A mezzanine at the top of the stairs provides access to two bedrooms and a bathroom housed in a unit that extends the full-height of the house, with storage for the kitchen built in on the ground floor and tables made by 5mm.Studio.
![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
Photography is by Maciej Lulko.
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![House in the Landscape by Kropka Studio](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/House-in-the-Landscape-by-Kropka-Studio_dezeen_2.gif)
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