luminescent 'draftroom' in texas by jiří příhoda features a suspended table for sketching

with COVID-19 cutting off global travel and seemingly halting time, jiří příhoda took the chance to reconsider his early projects in the context of society today. příhoda, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of prague designblok in 2013, introduced a prototype of his arbor dwelling II, lampyriade (firefly). the outer shell of the small-scale habitat is made of the material corralit – a luminescent substance added into artificial stone. the A. D. II shell absorbs daylight and later releases it in the form of an opalescent light by night. the soft glow from the shell transforms the typical day light color scale into a completely new one.

in lake travis, austin, příhoda has produced a conversion of the arbor dwelling II into ‘draftroom’ that hovers above the ground. the structure surrounds the trunk of the tree, which was damaged several times by tough texas weather, but still creates a canopy over whole dwelling. on sunny days, the tree casts a unique interplay of light and shadow over the site. the interior of ‘draftroom’ has been adjusted mainly for working on large sketching table, which is suspended from the ceiling, and can be folded into the wall. this gesture allows the occupant to open the dwelling floor and use the lower half of the cylindrical space for resting — all while the shell of the structure subtly glows throughout the night.

project info:

project name: draftroom
author: jiří příhoda
object type: sculptural object / small architecture
location: lake travis, austin, texas
client: private
construction: plywood, wood, plexiglass
exterior shell: corralit
dimensions: diameter width 2,44 m, height 3.66 m, depth 4.88 m (incl. roof overlaps), 1.22 m above ground
interior floor area: main deck 6 m2 + 6m2 outside decking / lower sleeping area 3m2