An undeveloped triangular plot at the intersection of Pekařská and Anenská streets is located in close proximity to the urban historical center of Brno. I propose a house that, from the outside, actually looks like two separate houses. A wide passage between them invites one to peek inside and perhaps even to stop on one of the publicly accessible terraces.

Character of the Place
The busy, dynamic Pekařská street, a significant traffic artery both historically and today, connects Old Brno with the city center. The development primarily consists of high apartment buildings that are not significantly unified. In the ground floor, there are mainly shops or services. The street descends from Šilingrovo náměstí down to the hospital at Saint Anne.
Here, Pekařská intersects with Anenská street, which has significantly lower buildings, further supported by a lower height level—the terrain continues to slope downwards.
Therefore, the plot is delineated by these two streets and also by a high brick wall on the eastern side of the land. The height difference between the lowest point of the plot (at Anenská street) and the highest (Pekařská) is 7.5 m. Currently, the site serves as a provisional grassy park.

Urban Apartment Building
Let’s look at the house from below, from the lowest point of the plot. We find ourselves on Anenská street, next to three-story terraced houses. In the past, another row of houses connected perpendicularly upwards, forming Anenská alley. The alley disappeared at the end of the 20th century due to the demolition of the remaining houses.
In my design, I restore this alley, albeit in a different form. It is situated in the same places, but its appearance differs somewhat, and primarily it is no longer bordered by any houses. We ascend the stairs, bordered on the left by a brick wall. On the right, the wall is lower, and as we approach the last step, the view opens up to the first terrace. For those who remember, the original architecture may come to mind, as the newly created terraces follow its footprint.
The still-preserved entrances to the basement spaces are highlighted by clearing the surroundings and create a visual backdrop for the newly arranged environment.
If we don’t stop here to rest for a moment, we can continue up the stairs, which will lead us to a considerably larger and also livelier, more urban space. We will find a few shops, a café, a bistro, and depending on the time of day, a number of people. Whether they are random passersby, employees of establishments, workers in rented offices, or residents of the apartment buildings. Right in this central space is the entrance to the larger of the two new houses: the Atrium House.
Let’s return once again to the beginning, to Anenská street.

If we do not ascend the stairs but continue along Anenská street, beside the same brick wall that borders the stairs, we can notice garage doors after a few steps. These serve both the residents of the apartment buildings and employees or clients of the establishments to access the enclosed parking lot. It is three stories high, and from the entrance level, we can either drive up the ramp one level higher or descend in the opposite direction. The garages thus provide sufficient capacity for vehicles and eliminate parking on the street.
The entrance gates are not particularly noticeable, so (if we have not arrived by car or motorcycle) we can continue along undisturbed, still along the wall. The path ascends slightly, the height of the wall proportionately decreases, and we can see that a large building seems to rise from it.
We reach the corner of the wall-building and find ourselves in a completely different world: trams clang, car drivers rush somewhere, the pace is faster. The house also changes: it is no longer just a monotonous wall, but a building that generously opens itself to its surroundings, inviting one to visit.
If we step back a little from the house, we can see the tower of St. Peter and Paul Cathedral (the so-called Petrov) in the background. Although the cathedral has two towers, one of them is already obscured by the controversial luxury housing project “Anenské terasy.” Petrov is a significant landmark of the city: it is visible from afar and people know it well.
Upon stepping back, we also see the overall appearance of the house: it is not as large as it may have seemed when we stood in close proximity. This corner house does not wish to appear grandiose, even though it is located in a prominent place. It aims to be friendly, yet dignified. It is a house that stands firmly in its place.
At first glance, there is a clear separation between the lower part of the house (commercial use) and the larger upper part, which serves for residential purposes. The northern façades of both houses, oriented towards the busy Pekařská street, are significantly more closed in their residential sections compared to the southern façades.

If we proceed further along the building, now along Pekařská street, we continue to slowly ascend to reach the level of the more spacious terrace (the one we had already accessed from the other side). However, we go further, now beside the second house, the Neighbor House. It adjoins an interesting apartment building from the 1930s, matching its height. It is thus somewhat taller than the Atrium House below it. It does not wish to compare itself to its older and more experienced neighbor, nor to elevate itself above it. It simply complements it; perhaps it will be a good neighbor—a friend.