Single Family House in Central Bohemia

The house is located on the top section of a northern slope in a former arboretum of 1.57 ha. The siting and size of the building were greatly influenced by an original holiday cottage – the foundations of which were partly used – as well as the close proximity of grown oak and spruce trees.

Photo: Ester Havlová

The investor commissioned an economical house with light, spacious rooms closely integrated with its surroundings.

Photo: Ester Havlová

The building is designed on three levels – an open living ground floor, a closed bedroom floor, and a roof terrace. The ground floor is conceived as a single space with a central core containing a kitchen counter and cabinets, a utility room, storage, staircase and fireplace. The living space and kitchen can be separated from the southern part – a corridor used as a conservatory – by a sliding wall. Thanks to the position of the core, the perimeter of the ground floor could be opened to obtain a panoramic view of the surrounding nature. The upper floor is designed as a quiet, enclosed level with a study, master bedroom, children’s room and a large bathroom. Narrow bedroom windows provide views of the garden. A large window above the bathtub in the bathroom boasts a view of treetops. A “secret” staircase leads from the bedroom via the façade to the live-in roof terrace as a place for outdoor relaxation.

Photo: Ester Havlová

A wooden, structural skeleton made it possible to reduce the thickness of perimeter walls and expedite the construction process. The perimeter walls at the top floor level are reinforced with OSB boards, which are incorporated into the wall and further serve as a steam-resistant barrier. The ground floor façade consists of full-scale glazing of insulation glass firmly anchored to the load-bearing poles of the construction, small ventilation windows and French windows. The sheathing of the ventilated façade on the top floor is from unshaved boards with a protective surface coat.