In Prague, a modern cabin has been designed by BYRÓ architekti in a mature garden as a retreat in the middle of the Czech city. The 20-square-meter Garden Pavilion serves as an escape for quiet time and the occasional overnight stay, that’s just a short 10-minute walk from the owner’s apartment. The clients, who own the garden, envisioned a structure that would not isolate them from nature. Instead, their request was for a modest shelter, mostly for protection from inclement weather, with the added functionality of sleeping accommodations in the summer and plant storage in the winter.

To address this challenge, the architects conceptualized a pavilion that harmonizes with its environment. A folding panel on one side of the pavilion allows the interior to open completely to the garden. This design element transforms the interior into an extension of the garden, reminiscent of a garden loggia or veranda. When opened, the polycarbonate wall also acts as an overhead cover, providing shelter during rainy weather. The mechanism for the panel includes steel cables, pulleys, and counterweights, making it effortlessly operable by a single person.
The build is located on the original wooden cottage’s foundation within a garden colony near the Vltava River. This area, characterized by its greenhouses, arbors, and small cottages, has a unique charm. The new structure respects its surroundings with its dark, burnt wood facade, created using the shou sugi ban metho...