<brick house bent like a bow<br>

At the beginning, there is usually a wish to build a house, and only then is a suitable plot sought for its realization. In one Southern Bohemian family, however, the thought process worked the other way around. When a plot on a hill with unique views began to be sold in the village, they decided to build a house on it, even though they already had one a few dozen meters away. Today, they admire their dream views thanks to the "green" brick house with extensive glazed areas. The arched curve of the entire southern side draws them into the surrounding landscape and provides them with views to three cardinal directions.

The family had lived in the village of Doudlebsko for more than twenty years. When the opportunity to buy a plot on the hill arose, they did not hesitate. "It would be a shame not to take advantage of such an opportunity; the plot has unique views of the Blanský Forest mountain range and its highest peak, Kleť," recalls the investor about the impulse to build a new house. In the end, it also resolved the question of whether to renovate the older house after the adult children moved out. "My wife and I agreed that it would be simpler to build a new, smaller, and more modern house," continues the owner. He knew from the start that the building would be traditionally brick and as glazed as possible (window systems Schüco). However, he did not expect a traditionally rectangular house from the architect. The elongated rectangular plot, which is barely 16 meters wide, inspired the architect to design an atypical structure in the shape of a curved bow, thanks to which the inhabitants of the house have views that are not just flat but truly three-dimensional.

"The entire southern wall of the house is arched, with the greatest dynamics of the curve occurring in the living room. The reason was the effort to distance the living spaces from the boundary of the plot and ensure privacy and the best views of the surroundings. A traditional block would have been aggressive; the rooms would have been pushed too close to the neighboring plot, and the intimate distance filled with the garden would be missing. The shape of the house is gentle and natural due to the arch,” explains the idea of the architect, Ing. Josef Vostracký.

The building plot on the outskirts of the village sloped to the west, with an elevation of about 4.5 meters from the access road on the eastern side. The longer side faces south and opens views of the Blanský Forest mountain range to the west. The residential floor (ground floor) connects to the level of the plot at the entrance, transitioning on the western side into a covered terrace, which is already elevated above the level of the garden on columns and is protected from inclement weather by a glass wall. The floor of the basement is about one-third below the ground floor and connects to the lower part of the garden, which has been leveled.

Two parking spaces are located under the roof overhang, under which the residents walk to the main door on the northern side. Behind the entrance hall is a corridor from which all rooms are accessible. The living area, with a kitchen, dining nook, and glass-walled living room facing south, includes two additional rooms, a toilet, a bathroom, and a dressing room. The bedroom has its own bathroom with a sauna.

The brick construction combined with aluminum window systems Schüco AWS 90.SI+ with thermally insulating triple glazing met the owner's requirement for a passive house that does not unnecessarily lose thermal energy in winter and, conversely, does not let the summer heat into the interior. This was successfully verified in a blower door test, measuring the airtightness of the envelope, and the investors thereby obtained a subsidy from the Green Savings Program. The thermal comfort in the house is also enhanced by heating with a heat pump with a borehole, and sometimes the investor feels warmth in his heart from the compliments of passersby and cyclists who stop on the hill and can be heard praising the original house.

About the Project

Title: Family House in Southern Bohemia
Project Author: Ing. Josef Vostracký, Atelier Vostracký
Aluminum Systems Schüco – window systems with triple insulating glass Schüco AWS 90.SI+ and Schüco AWS 75.SI+ with DAFE PUREX overlay installation, door systems Schüco ADS 90.SI and Schüco ADS 75.SI
Manufacturer of aluminum window and door systems Schüco: DAFE - PLAST Jihlava, s.r.o.
Built-up area: family house 143 m², covered terrace at ground level 24 m², parking shelter area 35 m², basement 53 m², storage 23 m².