We can find this beautiful project in a gap between family houses that form the banks of the Dyje River. The steep terrain has the original terrace landscaping with stonewalls. Above the opposite riverbank rises a rock wall; resting on the wall are the Znojmo Castle, the Rotunda of St. Catherine, and the Church of St. Nicholas. The surrounding houses are quite diverse; they are mainly family houses or blocks of flats with one or two floors. The determining elements of the project are the shape, profile, and orientation of the plot. Its minimal width, large slope, and north orientation determine the basic shape parameters of the building. So, the architects designed the house on a narrow, rectangle ground plan. It respects the street line on the north side as well as the distance from neighboring buildings.

The house has three floors facing the waterfront side and one floor facing the slope side. From one side, the house is sloped, forming a sloping roof, which follows the neighboring roofs’ shape. From the opposite slope side, the roof is flat.

The roof is green, optically transitioning into a rising garden above the house. Cut into the green roof are two placed windows of children’s rooms and living space.

The eastern wall of the house is extended and recessed. As a result, the illumination of the bedroom and the corridor on the second floor is possible. The main living area is on the top floor. It connects with the outdoor terrace and the garden on the southern side. The architects chose not to separate the living space, and this creates two advantages. First: the sunlight floods the room from the garden through the glass wall in the dining area. Second: to the north, it offers impressive views of the valley. It is the beautiful views of the Dyje River valley and the opposite rocky slopes with important historical monuments of Znojmo that are the main strengths of this site.

The architects planned the main entrance on the waterfront street, from which an outdoor staircase takes the residents to the terraces and gardens above the house. On the ground floor, there is a garage with a parking space for one car, and there is a mechanical room for a heat pump and a ventilation system too. Next to the entrance, there is a study with a large window exposed to the sunlight from the waterfront. On the first floor, there is a master bedroom with a private bathroom, a guest room, two children’s rooms, a large bathroom, and a room for housework. Inserted in the living space on the second floor is a closed stall with a toilet and a pantry. The kitchen divides the living area into the northern part with sofas and a fireplace, and a southern part with a dining table and access to the outdoor terrace.

The load-bearing structure is made of reinforced concrete and steel. On the façade, the architects used black aluminum cladding sheets. All windows have aluminum frames; the sidewall of the inner staircase is made of profile milk glass. The architects also employed several layers of drainage, filtration, and protective films on the green roof. For heating, the team chose a geothermal pump.

Project by Kuba & Pilař architekti

Photography by boysplaynice.com