Page 81 - AIT0325_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Byró architekti, CZ-Prag
Bauherr • Client privat
Standort • Location CZ-Kutná Hora
Nutzfläche • Floor space 297 m 2
Fotos • Photos Alex Shoots Buildings
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 118

FAMILYHOUSE

IN KUTNÁ HORA

This single-family house converted by Byró, stands in the
middle of the old town of Kutná Hora, with houses on
both sides. The Prague-based architects came up with
some interesting solutions to let daylight into areas that
were previously unlit. Thanks to minimizing circulation
6 8
areas, pacious living rooms were created on 297 square
metres, complemented by a quiet courtyard and garden.

7
B
3 4 yró architekti – Tomáš Hanu and Jan Holub – are part of a genera-
9 tion of young architects in the Czech Republic under 40. Like many
others, they are mainly active in private residential construction, and
5 they regularly win prizes in competitions for public buildings. Recently,
Byró was commissioned to convert a residential building in Kutná Hora
11
(Kuttenberg in German). The Bohemian city with a population of just
under 20,000 once achieved prosperity through silver mining; the old
10 12 town, where this house is located, is now a UNESCO World Heritage
2
Site. Originally, there was a medieval building here, but it burnt down
1
completely. In the late 19th century, it was replaced by a house that,
according to Byró, was rebuilt in the 1970s in a rather insensitive man-
ner and lost its character in the process. It was this lost identity that
the architects wanted to restore. However, the search for clues from the
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1 past proved extremely difficult. Much of the evidence simply no longer
existed. Tomáš Hanu and Jan Holub therefore aimed to blur the bounda-
ries between old and new. Fresh impulses were to breathe new life into
the house. And this was achieved primarily through windows, openings
1 Eingangshalle • Entry in the interior, and light- and visual relationships. Since the house is
2 Spielzimmer • Children‘s play room
3 Waschküche • Laundry integrated into a row of houses and is thus in a sandwich position, the
4 Arbeitszmmer • Work room only sources of light are the street- and garden sides. The staircase plays
5 Bad • Bathroom
6 Hof • Courtyard a key role here, as it acts as a light catcher. Thanks to the conversion,
7 Wohn-/Esszimmer • Living/dining room
8 Terrasse • Terrace the parents and their three children can now look out of a large window
13 9 Küche • Kitchen from the living room into the staircase. Between the upper floor and
10 Elternschlafzimmer • Master bedroom
11 Bad • Bathroom the attic, a new, filigree metal staircase with a skylight allows daylight
12 Arbeitszimmer • Work room
13 Kinderzimmer • Children‘s room to reach deep into this core zone. Glass blocks ensure that light also
14 Bad • Bathroom enlivens rooms without windows. The architects developed the colour
15 Raum zum Chillen • Chill out room
scheme in consultation with the family. In the bright rooms, furniture
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and built-in plywood cupboards designed by Byró as well as the stair-
case, tiles and window frames, provide subtle colour highlights. The
15
courtyard and garden at the back of the house are a green refuge. The
street- and garden sides could not be more different: extremely public
Grundriss Dachgeschoss • Attic floor plan – the house- and the pavement edge are one – and extremely private.
AIT 3.2025 • 081