HOUSE BEHIND THE WALL
Mjölk architects is a Czech architecture practice founded by Jan Mach, Jan Vondrák and Lukáš Holub. One of their latest project is The Wallhouse:
The lot borders a busy road which serves as a starting point for tourists heading to the Jizera Mountains. For this reason the studio designed a new concrete wall in place of the former exterior wall of the old house. This will not only decrease the amount of noise from the nearby road but also define the outside entrance area to the house. Behind the wall is a small yard with a view of Ještěd, which serves as a guidepost between the entrance, the guest house and the stairs to the yard below. On the old stone foundation behind the concrete wall are actually two houses; a family house and a small guest house for a young sailor, the clients’ son, who spends most of the year at the helm of transatlantic ships.
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The parents’ house is more complicated as its building design had to encompass the needs of three different people – a friendly couple and their daughter. The wooden addition above the basement ceiling consists of bedrooms, an office, a bathroom with a toilet and an outdoor yard with a sauna. Sauna therapy is a pleasant variation during the harsh northern winters. The living space of the house is defined by large windows on both sides. A couple of steps lower is a living room stairhead with a fireplace and a wide staircase to the kitchen and dining room which are connected to the patio. The rest of the basement is used as a utility room and storage space.
For the interior there are many custom-made elements. In the bathrooms you can find water taps, some of which were replaced with copper pipes and garden taps. In the bedroom there are wardrobes hanging from the ceiling so that they don’t take up so much space and keep the bedroom, walk-in closet and bathroom interconnected. The kitchen counter was designed in a way that retained the former granite blocks from which the lower part of the house was built.
Visit Mjölk architects to know more about the project!
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