Atelier Ševčíků in Prague

The existing family house, which the extension serves, has the character of a traditional small suburban building that has evolved additively over time. Throughout its long existence, this building has been continually transformed according to the needs of its current users. Its present state reflects the needs of the family of the current owners. The building is maintained in natural harmony with its history. All modifications and repairs have always been carried out through gradual additions and connections. The last extension is designed in this spirit.
The spatial demands for work surfaces in the family house required further expansion, thus necessitating the addition of a separate study. This was all done with consideration for the specific needs of two other family members who are artists. The two-story extension serves as a storage and repository on the ground floor, and as a shared workspace for the family members – an atelier – on the upper floor.
Due to very confined conditions, the atelier is located on a footprint of approximately 5 x 5.5 m in the area of the courtyard and garden and is attached to the gables of the existing structures. Its footprint gradually widens upward, thereby achieving a larger usable area on the upper floor.
To ensure efficient use of space, the construction of the extension is very subtle. It is composed of a simple steel frame assembled from five frames welded from closed profiles. The frame is externally clad with cement-bonded particle boards, insulated with layered thermal insulation, and internally closed with drywall construction. The roof, with a slight slope, is covered with galvanized sheet metal and fitted with a solid skylight made of multi-wall polycarbonate. The ceiling of the built-in upper floor is steel-wooden. The southeast façade facing the garden consists of a system of wooden windows with sliding elements.