How Did This Architect Build a Prefab Home Into a Hillside? Ark Shelter

Martin Mikovčák, cofounder of Ark Shelter, welcomes us into the house he designed for himself on land that has belonged to his family for generations. For years, he would sit in the high grass on this hillside, imagining how a home could fit into the landscape.
He sank the house into the slope, allowing the meadow to flow over its roof while a long glass facade opens towards the valley. A low stone wall shields the interior from passing walkers while allowing the southern sunlight to reach the rooms.
Three modules were built in a nearby factory and brought to the site, where they meet foundations and a concrete core constructed in place. The core stores heat from the fireplace, while radiators sit discreetly beneath the windows.
Inside, the house changes with everyday life. Entrance doors unfold into a canopy. A continuous piece of furniture becomes steps, seating and part of the kitchen. Cooking facilities hide inside a table, and a bathtub sits beneath the shower floor, facing the sunset.
During construction, an unexpected discovery brought another connection to the landscape. Excavation revealed a natural spring, whose water now feeds the pond beside the terrace.
For Martin, this is both a home and a place to test his ideas. Living with the materials and mechanisms every day allows him to explore what modular architecture can offer when it is designed around a particular person and place.