House inspired by the periscope, designed to look out over the lake landscape
Periscope by MUS Architects is a residential project located near Lake Żywiec, Polandwhere the main architectural challenge was the absence of direct water views. Although the site is located next to the lake, a raised land surrounding the shoreline obstructs visibility from the plot. Therefore, the house was conceived as an architectural response to this topographical situation, focusing on raising the living spaces above the embankment line.
The project takes its name and official reference from the optical device known as a periscope, which is used to observe beyond physical barriers. This idea informed both the spatial organization and the geometry of the house. Rather than following a conventional residential layout, the building adopts an inverted vertical layout that places the main living functions on the top level to ensure unobstructed views of the lake and surrounding landscape.
all images by Anna Porebska / MUS Architects
MUS ARCHITECTS organizes PERISCOPE in Reverse Vertical Layout
The functional program is distributed over three floors. The ground floor includes the entrance, a two-car garage and a spa zone that connects directly to the garden on the west side of the site. The first floor hosts the private night zone, which includes bedrooms and bathrooms. The top floor includes the living room, dining room, kitchen and an additional toilet.
The elevated living room is fully glazed along the side of the volume facing the lake, opening the interior to the panoramic view of Lake Żywiec and the Beskid Żywiecki landscape. This continuous glazing also reduces the visual boundary between interior and exterior. A separate staircase placed along the north side of the building connects all levels vertically. Additional operating systems are incorporated into the design to support the reverse organizational scheme. A cargo lift located in the garage allows groceries and household items to be transported directly to the upper level of the kitchen.
The form of the building reflects the conceptual logic behind the work of MUS Architectstranslating the function of a periscope into an architectural volume shaped by orientation, elevation and visibility. Through the vertical arrangement and raised living platform, the house turns the restriction imposed by the embankment into a defining principle of the design.
the residential volume is located next to Lake Żywiec in Poland
the architectural form is inspired by the visual logic of a periscope
The elevated living spaces are oriented towards unobstructed views of the lake
the monolithic external geometry responds to the topography of the site
