Traditional Czech dwellings inform mountain home by Mar.s Architects

Czech studio Mar.s Architects drew on traditional mountain architecture when designing this house in the village of Malá Úpa, creating steep gables to help deal with heavy snowfall.

Named Family House Dolní Malá Úpa, the home is located within the mountainous Krkonoše National Park, which required Mar.s Architects to adhere to strict construction rules.

This led the Prague-based studio to reference the shapes and materiality of the area's typical stone and timber dwellings in its design.

"The main challenge was just to find a new form for a traditional local building to preserve the best of the history but at the same time maintain a high standard of 21st-century living," studio founder Martin Šenberger told Dezeen.

"In general, we think that in these historically exposed locations, this is the best way to interact with the existing environment and further develop it in a very sensitive way," he continued.

Using an approach common to the area, a plinth made from local stone creates a level base for Family House Dolní Malá Úpa on its sloping site.

The plinth is topped by a steep gabled form designed to prevent heavy snow load. While the roof is lined with black aluminium, the walls are clad in vertical wooden planks that will weather and turn a silver-grey colour over time.

Set back slightly from the road with a gravel driveway, the home's sheltered steel-box entrance leads into a small lobby flanked by a staircase, bathroom and storage area.

The centre of Family House Dolní Malá Úpa contains a living, kitchen and dining space finished in dark wood, which Mar.s Architects described as a "dignified haven" to offer comfort and warmth during storms.

To the west, the living area opens out onto an elevated lookout sheltered by wooden screens. A drop in site level means this terrace projects out over the sloped site, perched on two narrow steel columns.

"As an accent, a contemporary, fully open steel terrace extends from the veranda, hovering above the surrounding terrain, supported by a pair of splayed legs," explained Šenberger.

"During extreme weather conditions, when the surroundings blur and visibility is minimal, it becomes a commanding bridge in the middle of nothingness," he continued.

Above, the first floor of Family House Dolní Malá Úpa contains bedrooms and a secondary lounge space, illuminated by dormer windows that project from the steeply sloping roof and frame views out across the landscape.

Traditional Czech dwellings also served as a reference point for a home on a nature reserve near Prague by Studio Circle Growth, with a simple exterior contrasted internally by bright, pine-lined interiors.

Elsewhere in the Czech Republic, Byró Architekti recently completed Cabin Above the Town and RO_AR created a sweeping grass-topped home.

The photography is by BoysPlayNice.

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