We aspire to perfection, unafraid to challenge it time and again. Architects from Master Design on designing homes with a story.

With every project comes a new opportunity to grasp the perfection of a house that is always different and unique in its own context. It is also a chance to advocate for improving the quality of services and promoting decent behavior in the industry. With clear internal values, the Master Design studio builds its position at a time when architecture is often seen as a fast, faceless product. We strive to approach architecture personally, responsibly, and with transparent contractual relationships.

The whole team is united by a drive for results and individual responsibility

Humble beginnings in Ostrava in 2008 saw a team that initially consisted of two, then four people, now forming a strongly defined quartet of co-owners behind the architectural office Master Design. What "made" the company were the designs of individual family houses, and they now actively participate in development projects. In addition to stable offices in Prague and their home city of Ostrava, Master Design has also expanded to include its own construction company. Direct contact with construction has provided us with not only important know-how but also the opportunity to finalize designs down to the smallest detail. Our team has a broad scope, comprising architects, engineering graphics experts, and execution specialists. Regarding company culture, despite the considerable number of projects, we manage to function without overtime and maintain an open and informal culture, with respect for ourselves, and especially for our contracts and clients.

Ostrava – an opportunity to try to do development differently.

Master Design has primarily taken on development in its home city of Ostrava, where it already has several completed projects and plans for more public amenities in the near future. Noteworthy projects include the revitalization of the Ostrava Stadium and the Bazaly footbridge, the reconstruction of the commercial house Ostravica Textilia, which began unusually with a workshop with university students, and a cultural center currently under construction in Muglinov. We also have projects like the residential complex Keltičkova. Given our relationship with the city and Ostrava's tremendous development potential, we can afford to design differently, sensitively, and not just with an eye on numbers on paper, as is often the case.

A fundamental aspect for us is the context of future users, for whom we want to offer quality housing. Such that retains its quality and value over the long term. People must be able to access the building comfortably, and we need to address transport accessibility and the outdoor movement of residents. The apartment must have sufficient storage space, and it is ideal to offer functional solutions with quality materials. In short, one should consider that the place only begins to come alive with the building itself.

Perfection drives us, and it takes different forms every time

How do we define a perfect house? There is no unique recipe, of course. What has helped us is defining points that can bring us closer to that goal each time. Based on our years of practice and experience, we have created the so-called Ten Principles of a Perfect House, a set of principles that guide our approach to every design and execution. A perfect house does not mean it is flawless. Perfection is reflected in the intersection of creative ideas, aesthetic values, technically sound execution, and user functionality.

Ultimately, it works such that clients choose us who share these foundational ideas from the Ten Principles, and vice versa. This can lead to truly quality architecture, which, summed up, has: a concept, is bold, beautiful in simplicity, maximally naturally lit and airy, and is in contact with nature in terms of materials and, for example, its terrace.

Modern houses from design to occupancy

We most often focus on turnkey modern house designs. This is also because, thanks to our own construction company, we can guide clients through their journey from selecting a plot of land, through architectural studies and project documentation, to the actual construction of the house and finally the moment they first step through the doors of their home. The architect's service is a very personal matter, and one of the duties of the profession is the art of listening to the personal wishes of clients, then realizing these wishes into a functional form. Our architecture arises from discussion, not the monologue of one side or the other. We are accustomed to clients having diverse requests. Our many years of experience allow us to respond to them to the maximum extent possible.

For modern houses to be created under our hands, it is necessary to collaborate with conscious clients, not only in financial terms. Architecture works with interpersonal relationships, and one of the first relationships is that between the client and the architect. The term Design & Build can lose this human aspect, as people usually envision a simple shortcut to gaining a home as one package of services from one company. It is true, and we are proud to offer this service at the highest quality, but we also recognize that a critical aspect of this package is honesty and mutual trust, upon which everything stands. Every house should have its own story.

Our houses are passive, low-energy, and in the modern sense of the word, they are created with consideration for the future. They must perform not only on paper but in real life, and this guides us. We collaborate with local craftsmen, ensuring that we handle materials and energy reasonably and sensitively. Everything possible, we solve regionally.

Not keeping things to ourselves

Naturally, we have come to the point of establishing a blog on our website and have added public education to our values. We share professional advice and experiences, practical tips on choosing land, selecting an architect, as well as insights on what it is like to move from the city to the countryside and other unexpected situations from life and the field. Additionally, we engage in various lecture series and accept invitations to public debates, the latest being at the PULSE festival in Ostrava on the topic of revitalizing brownfields.

Stable pillars, stable company

The architectural office Master Design can today boast over 300 completed projects across the Czech Republic. They stand firm on their values and maintain them even in the case of development projects; this approach pays off by attracting strong personalities from the world of architecture, as well as designers, graphic artists, structural engineers, experts in engineering, and construction execution. Our vision is the perfect house. Attempting to fulfill this vision will probably never tire us.


MASTER DESIGN
www.master-design.cz 

Photo: Master Design archive