This Home in the Czech Republic Feels Holy (and Is Literally Hole-y)

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Project Details:

Location: Borotin, Czech Republic

Designer: Jan Zaloudek Architekt / @jan.zaloudek.architekt

Footprint: 1,937 square feet

Builder: S - B s.r.o.

Structural and Civil Engineer: Projekty S+S

Landscape Design: Atelier Rouge

Photographer: BoysPlayNice / @boysplaynice

From the Designer: "The House Oskar was built by designer Jan Zaloudek for himself and his family. Together with his wife, art historian and writer Jolanta Trojak, they long dreamed of a place to connect with the landscape or retreat inward. They envisioned a space that not only invites rest but also serves as a wellspring of creativity and inspiration—qualities integral to their everyday lives.

"Inspired by the idea of a chapel, which the village does not have, the resulting architecture is a blend of contrasts: new and old, interior and exterior, perfection and imperfection. The design respects the traditional elongated form of houses with gabled roofs, drawing on the vocabulary of local agricultural buildings. In reference to the area’s historical structures, the home has perforated masonry with openings for light and air.

"The compact form of the house is permeated by niches on each façade that reference Baroque morphology. These niches form entry vestibules and loggias, allowing flexible shading. The house can either fully open to the landscape, connecting its residents to the world, or close off to highlight its meditative character. The load-bearing structure consists of insulated ceramic masonry combined with reinforced concrete elements. The roof is clad with fired ceramic tiles, and the shading panels are made from whitewashed Czech fir and spruce."