House in Černosiče

Klaus-Peter Gast

Description

This garden plot with dense existing trees inspired the architect to open up wide the house’s various areas. The rectangular block of the two-storey building for one family is broken down by long continuous windows running right to the corners to create a tension-filled relationship between the solid volume of the building and its apertures. Kroupa balances the façade elements to create the effect of suggested and real protrusions holding each other in balance. It is possible to experience the façade composition from the long access route leading from the carport to the entrance, which gives it significance and dignity. It tries to play down the functional separation in the ground plan, as the main entrance divides the ground floor into a living, cooking and dining area and a separate apartment. The solid body and the ground plan layout derive their tension from this: even though a clear entrance notch indicates the division into two, the building´s body does not fall apart, but remains a unity.

The architect further ties the parts together with a protruding band of concrete. The incision maintains the close relationship between the outside space at the front and the back, creating a ‘through flow’ that is captured by a walled courtyard as an outside space for the summer. Inside, an air space in the living area links the levels: the living room on the ground floor and a sleeping gallery on the top floor are connected by the main staircase. The sleeping area at the top is also divided into two, though the apartment has its own staircase access. The reticent colour scheme in the living and kitchen area on the ground floor with timber and exposed concrete walls contrasts with intense areas of colour on the bathroom and outside walls.