House in Krkonoše

To design a house in a pristine nature of Krkonoše was an exciting challenge, especially when it was for my long-standing friend and his young family, for a person who loves nature, art and life. Moreover, the design of the house corresponds in size to the existing building, which has been standing in this protected area since ancient times and as the only structure as far as the eye can see. The responsibility towards the circumstances and strict regulation gave an archetypal form. In addition, the investor required a sophisticated approach towards the space, which would be spiritually focused, unusual, and pure.

The house is inserted in a sloping terrain so that the basement has an entrance from the lower floor facing towards the outdoor pool. The main entrance and driveway are on the ground floor in the upper part of the building. The basement is made of reinforced concrete and from the level ± 0,0 it is a timber structure. The truss consists of four frames - glued full bindings, into which the view is completed by three pairs of convexly curved pillows for better use of space, acoustic comfort, and lighting strategy. Whilst the exterior of the building is fully cladded with larch glued laths including the roof, the interior is white and pure, even the floors. It serves as a white canvas for incorporating art in the form of positive thinking. The investor himself perceives the house this way. The long journey in the forest evokes impatience and enhances the experience from the atmosphere. One of the advantages is the appropriate size of the house and its favourable economical use and maintenance of the place. Over time, a carport equipped with solar panels as well as a vegetable greenhouse will be added to the heat pump.

My experience with these formally pure houses is following, they are demanded by strong personalities who have their own idea of their direction, their place in this world and the values their family represents. The exterior of such houses is characteristic with its artistic beauty, the art of aging and immersing itself into greenery. It expresses a kind of harmony with the universe. The understanding of its inhabitants that nothing lasts forever, but also the inimitability and irreplaceability of the present moment.

The purity, in the interior of such houses, allows thoughts to flow and makes their personalities and intellect stand out, with whom they fill the space, inhabit, cosset and mark the interior while living.

Fránek Architects: Zdeněk Fránek, principal architect

Collaborator: Accountable designer: Jiří Topinka