The land is located in a small village with a relatively well-preserved historical character, set in a relatively pristine landscape, where any inappropriate construction would be not only glaring, but also disrespectful to the place.

It is already evident "through the gate" that both the team of architects and the owners of the house wanted a safe shelter, a wide view, sufficient overview, a quiet place in the sun, mature vegetation, relaxation in the shade, a garden, an orchard, a greenhouse, a pond and a stream. And the new home fulfills all of this. A bonus is the bench at the entrance with a view of the gate and the house behind.

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Whether the house looks modernist or a refined reworking of a traditional rural building, it has a distinctive character. Its long body sticks to the ground (it is on the edge of the village, after all) and its natural colors and materials do not contradict the sensual landscape.

The architects created a discreet concept on the sloping land that does not disturb the natural panorama or is visible from public roads. The material, artistically mastered by the spirit, abstracts to the decent elegance of an unostentatious building, where despite the creative details, humility is evident in not being overbearing.

Transparency and openness are the supporting and filling aspects of the interior. However, this is not an empty space syndrome, as we see in some new buildings, where the residents of the house were unable, did not have time or did not want to work with the space.

David and Eva's house is inhabited. However, not as a result of the accumulation of furniture and decoration elements over time, but evidently as a result of design work from the very beginning, perhaps even before the ground was even dug.

With a company and on your own

The rough construction – the external walls and the roof – was carried out by the contractor. Everything else, including the facade, insulation, distribution, filling of openings and interiors, was arranged by the owner through subcontractors or by himself. As he says, not everything is ideal.

For example, the facade of the garden house shows that it was made by a professional, while the larch facade on the house (the irregular width of the planks is intentional) was created by the owner and he would do many things differently on it today, for example, he would no longer paint the wood.

The professional also signed the natural pond, where swallows teach their young to drink in flight. The garden house with sauna, as well as the covered parking space, has an extensive vegetation roof for better connection with nature. Behind the house is a greenhouse and nearby is an orchard, thanks to which the family has organic fruit and vegetables on the table. The only thing they lack is a cellar.

Questions for architect Irena Truhlářová from the ARCHCON studio

What were the intentions of the design?
The visual cue for the design was the realization of modern “barns” with open roofs and large glass gables. Our task was to place such a house on a plot sloping to the northeast and with wonderful views of the open countryside.

In the first versions, we tried to divide the house into smaller volumes and copy the morphology of the terrain. However, the fragmented floor plan did not suit the family, so we gradually arrived at a compact volume divided only by a sunken terrace and a highlighted, forward-facing "observable" room for the daughter.

We struggled a bit with the placement of the house in the terrain, as it was hard for the investors to imagine for a long time that the landscaping would be so significant. However, in my opinion, it was done very sensitively and the house seamlessly connects to the landscape.

Did feng shui philosophy speak to the house?
Yes, and significantly. Thanks to the spacious plot and non-binding regulations, we were able to turn the house so that its Flying Star emerged as the so-called Happy Castle. This way, our specialist Tereza and I gave the house the best energy and security. Of course, we verified the location during the study by jointly marking out the plot to compare the calculations with reality.

Another prominent topic was the treatment of "bullets". Here the feelings of architects and feng-shui go against each other - we like axes and vistas, but we do not realize that the energy that comes into the house will quickly escape through this. We solved this problem mainly in the vista that leads from the entrance, through the hall of the vestibule to the entrance to the terrace.

What do you consider particularly worthy of attention?
During the design, we gradually moved away from the open roof solution. We tried to create a slightly “cozier space” and structurally we wanted to move towards a truss roof. In our implementations, we explored together with the owners which elements create the impression of airiness and coziness at the same time.

We ended up using subtle aluminum windows to the full height of the room, 2,8 meters, in combination with a cedar ceiling. The perfectly complementing principle is the equally subtle doors.

An unusual element of the interior is the sage green color. It first appeared on the chest of drawers that the owners purchased during the design process, then it was reflected in the kitchen design, and finally it was heard on the entrance door, where it contrasts very refreshingly with the wooden facade.

Technical parameters

• House type: low energy
• Built up area: house 213,55 m^² (other areas 121,25 m^²)
• Usable area: house 166,52 m² (other areas 131,37 m^²)
• Disposition: 6 + kk
• Construction system: solid screwed panels - Dekpanel D, diffusely open construction
• Energy, heat: electric underfloor heating + bathroom tubular radiators with electric cartridge), preparation for photovoltaics
• Ventilation: air conditioning unit with passive heat recovery (the system is equipped with an additional control unit)
• Heat transfer coefficient through the wall U: 0,148 W / m^².K
• Windows, doors: aluminum triple glazed windows, Dorsis interior doors
• Author of the architectural design and project: Ing. Irena Truhlarova, Ing. Martin Valášek, feng shui - Ing. Tereza Svobodová, ARCHCON atelier sro, www.archcon.cz
• Realization: rough construction + roof, carport, garden facilities - DŘEVOSTAVBY BISKUP sro, www.drevostavbybiskup.cz, self-help completion, 2020