House in New Town nad Metují
Refined intimacy of a house set on a limestone cliff above the meander of a river near the city center is carefully guarded by a magnificent stone wall, reaching up to nine meters in height in places. This is followed by a three-story layout, largely set below the level of the ground, almost completely out of the line of sight of neighbors and passersby. With its design and emphasis on quality craftsmanship, the house connects with classic First Republic functionalism, thus embodying the investors' vision of utilizing conservative values such as essence, honesty, and tradition as the cornerstones of their new home.
"Designing an uncompromisingly functional house with regard to the character of the plot with problematic subsoil on the edge of a slope was a challenge, immensely attractive, a dream task," recalls the beginning of the collaboration Ing. arch. Kateřina Novotná. "An architect needs an enlightened investor for their work, and in this case, the project benefited from our mutual resonance," adds the Hradec Králové architect, who had previously completed the construction of a family house with the investor's family. "We easily agreed on the basic approach: quality materials, no unnecessary embellishments." And similarly simply and candidly sound the feelings of the new residents in retrospect: "From the very first day, we have felt as if we have lived here forever."
The communication of the building with its surroundings within the urban development is unpretentious and discreet. In a similar spirit, the layouts were designed in collaboration with the investors – while the communal hall, with its dimensions, can emphasize the nobility of the chosen material, other living rooms remain proportionate and easily livable. The completeness of the interior's essence is further enhanced by the furniture, largely custom-made according to the architect’s original vision.
From the exterior's morphology, perhaps the most attention is drawn to the provocatively rounded corner above the pool. However, this is also an element that remains consistently hidden from ordinary views. This is true even for visitors to the neighboring public park with a viewpoint, whose reconstruction the investor carried out at their own expense as part of the overall project. And while the first visitors of the viewpoint admire the view of the castle, the mayor of the town admits that the cooperation of the authorities has not always been the best because pure intentions are hard to believe these days. "And we just wanted to tidy up our new doorstep a bit and at the same time beautify the city that we love so much," reflect with a satisfied perspective the new residents of the "invisible" house behind the wall. A house that is hard to photograph but easy to live in.
"Designing an uncompromisingly functional house with regard to the character of the plot with problematic subsoil on the edge of a slope was a challenge, immensely attractive, a dream task," recalls the beginning of the collaboration Ing. arch. Kateřina Novotná. "An architect needs an enlightened investor for their work, and in this case, the project benefited from our mutual resonance," adds the Hradec Králové architect, who had previously completed the construction of a family house with the investor's family. "We easily agreed on the basic approach: quality materials, no unnecessary embellishments." And similarly simply and candidly sound the feelings of the new residents in retrospect: "From the very first day, we have felt as if we have lived here forever."
The communication of the building with its surroundings within the urban development is unpretentious and discreet. In a similar spirit, the layouts were designed in collaboration with the investors – while the communal hall, with its dimensions, can emphasize the nobility of the chosen material, other living rooms remain proportionate and easily livable. The completeness of the interior's essence is further enhanced by the furniture, largely custom-made according to the architect’s original vision.
From the exterior's morphology, perhaps the most attention is drawn to the provocatively rounded corner above the pool. However, this is also an element that remains consistently hidden from ordinary views. This is true even for visitors to the neighboring public park with a viewpoint, whose reconstruction the investor carried out at their own expense as part of the overall project. And while the first visitors of the viewpoint admire the view of the castle, the mayor of the town admits that the cooperation of the authorities has not always been the best because pure intentions are hard to believe these days. "And we just wanted to tidy up our new doorstep a bit and at the same time beautify the city that we love so much," reflect with a satisfied perspective the new residents of the "invisible" house behind the wall. A house that is hard to photograph but easy to live in.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.
0 comments
add comment
