The house that opens up to its owners and nature at a touch

"I usually recommend opening with a fingerprint reader to clients; I have tested it myself. It’s a perfect way when you want to run out to the garden without worrying about locking yourself out and being unable to get back home. I actually don’t even know where my house keys are. I lock it and it’s secured, but I can return anytime without having to think about whether I’ve forgotten my keys. It's also a great solution for children, as they don’t need to carry keys,” suggests Ing. Arch. Tereza Čudová Ajmová, indicating that the adage about the shoemaker's children does not apply in her case. On the contrary, her long-standing personal and work experience with glazed aluminum systems from Schüco and the implementation company DAFE-PLAST Jihlava allowed her to tackle technically demanding, yet aesthetically stunning solutions, such as an opening glazed corner of the living room without a single supporting column that would carry the weight of the ceiling structure but would obstruct the views...

The view is not obstructed even by the thinnest column

"It was architecturally interesting but statically demanding. We recalculated and changed it several times; in the end, we created a huge parapet with a lot of steel to prevent even a two-centimeter deflection of the concrete ceiling and to ensure the windows did not crack. This, however, resulted in a beautiful view, where your garden opens up, and you sit at the dining table in the living room, basically in the garden. Nothing obstructs your view, not even the thinnest column, so you don’t even perceive that you are indoors,” describes the architect what feelings the residents of the house probably experience when they open the glazed corner from the sliding sashes of Schüco ASS 77 PD.HI – of course, comfortably operated by a hidden automatic drive, but also highly thermally insulated thanks to triple glazing HI (High Insulation). Natural shading is provided by a mature walnut tree, so there was no need for blinds.

The possible views to different sides that the plot offered were another demanding task for the imagination. "I carefully considered the orientation of the house, whether to open it to the garden to the southwest, or to the views across the Vltava valley, which are also beautiful but face north. In the end, I managed to combine both – the living space and the relaxation area of the house face the private garden to the southwest, to take advantage of the midday and afternoon sun. And from the bedroom, the owners have a beautiful view through a band of windows of the wooded opposite slope across the river, almost all the way to Cukrák. So we utilized both,” continues Ing. Arch. Tereza Čudová Ajmová.

The house has several levels

The house is angled according to the shape of the trapezoidal plot, descending along the sloping garden, hidden among old walnuts and cherries. The investors bought the plot in the original development, literally in the midst of other gardens, so none of their plot sides run along the roadway. Access is via a long narrow driveway cut off from the neighboring plot. Thus, the house is not visible from the street; it is tucked away for perfect privacy, and even the pond with water lilies remains hidden from external views.

The slope of the garden required a specific solution for the levels of the building. The main entrance to the house is at the mid-level, from where one can continue through the vestibule to the glazed living area with kitchen and onto the terrace, bent around the corner of the living room and shaded by a canopy. The transitions to the terrace made of exotic garapa wood (which also clad the façade) are threshold-free, as the tracks of the sliding windows Schüco ASS 77 PD.HI are recessed, so the living room floor continues in one plane to the terrace. From the vestibule, one can further ascend to the upper floor, where in front of the parents' bedroom with a dressing room and bathroom, a podium with a library and a space for a grand piano was created. Downwards from the main entrance, stairs lead to the children's rooms, the bathroom, and the technical room.

A satisfied investor wishes to build another house

The architect received a brief assignment from the investor, basically just the number of rooms and a wish for a large living area. The chosen interior minimalism in terms of colors, materials, and shapes is tuned to the shade of matte white coffee (the furniture and flush-mounted doors to the height of the rooms). The industrial concrete surfaces on the ceilings are balanced by warmer shades of oak flooring. The architect admits that the investor was initially afraid of raw gray concrete. "I always say, let’s try it, and if you don’t like it, we can repaint it. And this approach works; no concrete ceiling has been repainted yet." The investor’s satisfaction with the architect’s designs is evident as she is already considering the construction of another house...

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Project name: Family House in Vrané nad Vltavou
Project author: Ing. Arch. Tereza Čudová Ajmová
Implementation: 2017-2019

Built-up area: 229 m²
Usable area: 302 m²