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ARCHITECTURE >
The potential of energy
Written by: Štěpánka Strouhalová
Photo by: Věroslav Sixt
There are many opportunities for
relaxation at the vacation home above the Drahanské Valley on
the north of Prague. The "open" design of the airy
building on piles supports the connection with nature. Thanks
to the greenery, the building enjoys a sense of utter privacy,
and it's largely self-sufficient, requiring nearly no outside
energy.
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The site is built into a sharp slope and concrete terrain
stairs allow access to it. |
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The outdoors can be accessed from every room. |
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The architectural elements are deliberately
reserved. |
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The house's aesthetic restraint
makes it beautiful: architectural concrete,
water-proof Finnish plywood, black segments, stainless steel, and glass. |
Maximal use of glass helps tenants connect with nature.
Effective graphic interplay of black and white in the bathroom.
The "prism on piles" is surrounded by greenery on all
sides, even on its roof. It is almost completely self-sufficient
energy-wise: water is drawn from a 94-meter well, propane-butane
in an underground tank heats it, and telecommunications with the
outside world are provided through microwave technology.
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from the outside
Luděk Rýzner
architect, OK Plan architekt
What was the basic design idea behind the project?
"The plot has great potential for energy, and we tried
to incorporate it into the house. The investor gave us great
freedom with the design. He relied on our judgment, as we'd
worked with him on several projects before. We wanted to
achieve interesting views from the house and concurrently
have its mass minimally interfere with the surroundings.
It's situated below the slope's horizon, so the inhabitants
enjoy an unbroken view of the panorama of the valley. The
house should provide its inhabitants a connection with its
natural surroundings and a sense of freedom, so after getting
home from work a person could completely relax without interruption.
The investor set a certain construction program that we followed,
but in the end he left a lot up to us. He also told us his
financial limits, and we were careful not to exceed them
when designing the house, including the interior. As per
his wishes, the interior design contains unusual furniture,
supplemented by stock chairs and couches."
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