A solid brick townhouse with a gracious scale of four storeys with one being set back to fit in with the character of the local neighbourhood
The house is designed with an east-west orientation and respects the existing street line. The location of the house on the plot brings a clear hierarchy between private and public spaces with the building itself facing the street while creating space for an intimate garden behind.
The house is designed with three full floors and one receding floor on top. The material composition of the proposed building corresponds to the surrounding houses, which have three floors and a slanted roof. The low-rise scale respects the quiet residential character of the area.
The low height of the house led us to consider a communal internal space, a “Pawlatsh” style atrium, which offers a richer space for residents to meet. The opening through all floors, illuminated by the overhead light, is complemented by a staircase that adds tension to the space. The path around the opening is longer, but it brings the residents of the house a shared space and the feeling of a local community.
The facades of the house are divided into 3 parts:
There are eight apartments on a typical floor, each with a separated part for daytime use and nighttime use. Each of the apartments has its own loggia. The larger apartments have a corner loggia enabling wider views. The top floor contains four larger apartments with roof terraces.
The elevated front yards of the ground-floor flats are bordered by a hedge adjoining the street. The apartments on the east side of the house are directly open to the park, with a shallow private front garden area.
The plot is located on Hálková Street, which leads from Cihelského pond on the border of the center of Humpolc and the countryside on the southern edge of the city. The street has a diverse character, from tight spaces to open areas without much purpose. It passes through the development of apartment buildings, shops, town villas, and individual family houses. The area around the plot is dominated by housing developments from the 1950s and 60s. However, the close development of villa houses and solitary housing units along the street lined with an avenue of trees, build up a calm residential character of the district.