House on Black Street
The residential building project on Black Street in Nový Bor is part of a broader cycle of buildings we are designing for the city centers of the former Sudetenland region. Through these projects, we collaborate with municipalities to create high-quality housing stock, which is often missing from the current market. Simultaneously, the goal is to enable municipalities to offer affordable housing to key professions essential for their development.
Location:
Nový Bor, Czech Republic
Client:
City of Nový Bor
Status:
Permitting phase
Project year:
2024
Built-up area:
335 m2
Architects:
Tobiáš Hrabec, Jan Mach, Jan Vondrák
We design these buildings on vacant infill plots in city centers, where they help heal historical scars within the urban fabric. Through high-quality architecture, we aim to introduce a new layer to these places—one that residents can be proud of.
After surveying municipal plots, we selected an infill site on Black Street as the most suitable location, proposing to integrate it with a large, neglected adjacent area featuring a firewater reservoir and unmaintained greenery. We aim to connect this significant urban space with its surroundings via two new pedestrian bridges over the Šporka stream, creating a naturally continuous public realm—a natural oasis in the heart of the city, complete with mature trees and moisture-loving vegetation surrounding the water. We propose revitalizing the existing fire reservoir into a natural biotope, providing a habitat for birdlife and small fauna.
The proposed building faces this space with a deeply articulated facade featuring generous living terraces, which constitute the primary asset of the newly created apartments.
The structure is designed as a timber building, with wood abundantly exposed as a structural material within the interiors. The ground floor—which houses parking spaces and a communal room oriented toward the newly established park—is executed in concrete. This space is intended for shared use by all residents, fostering neighborly relations and community life within the building.
