Rokypoint
You've finally wrapped up your work in the city! Or at least everything you had to get done this week. Cruising through the final bends before reaching Rokytnice, you're already anticipating the weekend at the cabin. The skis glisten, poking through from the trunk to the back seat. The cabin is surely warm by now; here, it doesn't take two days to heat the place up. Driving through Rokytnice, the snowy mountain backdrop slowly sets the stage. It used to be a rather ordinary house, but look at it now! You pull up, and that familiar spark of joy upon seeing the house returns, like a spark of Krkonoše flint striking the heart. It’s always a beautiful feeling to arrive here with the whole family and simply unwind.
Location:
Rokytnice nad Jizerou, Czech Republic
Client:
Private
Status:
Concept study
Project year:
2023
Built-up area:
280 m²
Architects:
Filip Cerha, Marina Pyzhianova, Jan Vondrák, Matyáš Prošek, Jan Mach
Design engineer:
Mjölking s.r.o.
It was once a simple house, surrounded by a garden and a small orchard. Our brief was to infuse it with that aforementioned Krkonoše mountain spark and create comfortable accommodation for six families of mountain lovers. From the outset, the idea was to preserve the morphological vocabulary of the buildings while injecting them with a new energy, to soften the harshness of the house's gray facades, the rusty bike shed, and the untamed garden.
We are extending the house by reinstating an original annex that is missing from the current structure, completing an "L"-shaped footprint topped with a pitched roof. Through this extension, the building emerges from the slope, opening up to the garden via a basement level that supports two confident upper stories. For the base, we assigned a rigid, solid materiál, concrete, that anchors everything together. We make no attempt to hide it; it remains as disciplined, exposed architectural concrete. The two added levels, thanks to their playful timber cladding, feel soft and charming, echoing traditional mountain cottages. The adjacent bike shed respects its original character, retaining its industrial aesthetic. Its silver sheet-metal envelope subtly reflects the fresh snow or the fragrant spring blooms of the surrounding garden.
The building is divided into six residential units, each with its own distinct character, and each providing maximum mountain comfort: a seamless connection between the living spaces and the garden, terrace grilling, mountain views from the upper floors, firewood storage in front of the house, and a garden sauna. The operational and spatial layout was designed rationally, yet poetically.
It’s Sunday again, and dusk is slowly settling in. With a light veil of fatigue resting on your legs, you glide through the curves in your car, heading back home. Trees line the winding roads, bowing to bid you farewell. You are all rested and recharged for another week’s hustle.
