Family house in Nové Město na Moravě

The task was a proposal for an extension of a family house in the inner courtyard of a historic town house in the center of Nové Město na Moravě, intended for occasional living for a family of four with the expectation of future use for permanent residence. An important aspect of the task was to preserve and strengthen the spirit of the historical structure, the building layout of the city, while simultaneously providing affordable housing to modern standards. Equally important for the investor was the connection between the interior and the outdoor space of the courtyard with the garden, creating a protected outdoor living area oriented towards the sunlit part of the garden.

The location features the best-preserved historical buildings in the city, with a narrower and elongated parcel layout. The orientation of the parcel is in a longitudinal direction from the northwest to the southeast. The land slopes significantly towards the southeast. Facing the square is the original residential house with two above-ground floors, a mansard roof, and a glazed gallery towards the inner courtyard. Perpendicular to this, the original outbuildings are situated along high walls, separating the neighboring properties. The quality of the site lies in the preserved historical structure with original buildings and architectural details. Also valuable are the views of surrounding houses, the church tower, and the layering of roofs and walls. The inner courtyard is very pleasant in terms of tranquility and privacy, offering opportunities for connection to the interior of the building while being located right in the center of the city.

The design is based on the geometry of the land, its orientation to the cardinal directions, and also the context of the building layouts in the inner courtyards of the area. Therefore, the location for the new construction was chosen along the northeastern boundary wall in a "gap" between the existing structure of the original stables and the barn on the southeastern side of the parcel, in a place that had previously been occupied by agricultural buildings. This positioning of the house is also advantageous in terms of sunlight exposure for the living rooms and terraces. The construction respects the existing movement routes in the courtyard area, passages, and entrances to the existing buildings and the courtyard.

The main architectural concept of the design is a symbiosis and emotional blending of the new extension with the existing building structure, but approached with a contemporary, modern perspective and architectural details, rather than copying historical forms.

The basic material solution of the design is based on traditional and locally used materials – wood, steel, smooth, light white plaster, stone, and glass. The extension is topped with a shed roof sloping towards the courtyard and is finished with white smooth plaster. Due to the significant sloping terrain in the courtyard, the extension is divided into several height levels, allowing the mass of the house to be reduced and articulated, naturally adapting to the morphology of the terrain, and decreasing in the direction of the slope. This principle makes the house appear volumetrically smaller within the inner courtyard space. The entrance area is designed as a glazed ground-level "neck" connecting the existing stable structure and the new extension.

Window openings are thoughtfully placed only in locations where they are essential and justified. This involves a composition of mostly square windows with different positions in the reveal, to support the impression of layering and the shape and construction diversity of local courtyard buildings and structures. The glazed areas in the interior act as living pictures, changing with the seasons and light conditions. At the same time, they bring an important light standard into the interior and valuable views into the exterior.

The house is designed as a masonry wall structure with a load-bearing outer wall, based on foundation strips. The masonry is made of lime-sand blocks with external insulation. The ceilings above the ground floor are wooden beam ceilings with cladding, supplemented by auxiliary steel construction. The roof structure is wooden. The roofing material is folded titanium-zinc sheet.