This Black Gable Country Home Looks Like It Was Broken in Half

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Project Details:

Location: Rybí, Czech Republic

Architects: KLAR / @klarchitecti

Builder: Richard Kovář

Structural Engineer: Martin Wünsche

Fire Safety Engineering: Pavla Tvrdá

EPC: Tomáš Brückner

Footprint: 1,560 square feet

From the Architects: "The clients specified that the building program should include a home for a family of four and a separate unit for their grandparents. They wanted the house made of wood and also sustainable in the sense that it should be easy to build and cost-effective in operation. They also wanted to be able to build the house themselves, at least partially.

"There are almost no neighboring buildings around the site that would limit or influence structure or form. Two pitched-roofed catalog houses are standing close by, the rest of the village is a mix of detached single-family homes from various periods. Answering the question, "What should the new house look like?" was quite difficult in this case. After considering the budget limitations, program requirements, and the preferred choice of a wood structure building, our final decision was to adopt a rational approach with repeating structural elements.

"Two elongated volumes with pitched roofs are joined together at an angle and placed on the edge of the buildable area, defined by the setbacks. At first glance, this shape can appear to be reminiscent of the Beskydy region’s typical small single-story home with a pitched roof. The solution with two wings works well to separate the family home and the future in-law suite. A south-facing private courtyard is formed inside the angle, protected from the north and overlooking a nearby forest. Shaded by the roof overhang, a wide deck stretching all the way along the house connects it with the courtyard, offering endless possibilities to sit, relax, and listen to the sounds of running water, rustling leaves, or distant hum of village life. Mature trees growing around the stream provide shade from the hot summer sun, but their bare branches let in enough sunlight to reach the house in winter."