This project by Zitnansky Gonda architects was not a standard client-architect assignment, as one of the authors is also the client, together with his partner. Both had dreamt of a non-standard housing in a smaller village near the capital city of Slovakia. The aim was to use the potential of the surrounding gardens and view to the countryside. Inside the house, an emphasis is placed on the functional, material and artistic aspects with an inspirational environment for creation, as both clients are creative professionals.
The house itself sits on a plot of 446 m² set on the northern side along with place for 2 cars, a garage and the house entrance. The front southern half is a lawn and garden connected barrier-free woth the interior. The house is not closing itself from its environment, it is communicating with it.
The two-storey family house layout is divided into a ground floor with a living area with an open gallery, toilet, garage and technical room and the first floor with a study, relaxation zone, bathroom and toilet. When designing the layout, emphasis was placed on the maximum inside-out openness. The night-time part of the house is orientated to the eastern side, with the morning sun. The residential part on the ground floor is oriented towards all sides. This way the interior is illuminated throughout the day. The overhanging roof on the south side of the house helps shade the house from the strong sun during the summer months. In the winter months the solar rays are sinking into the interior and this way the house gains more energy.
Since the object was built independently, it was designed from easily accessible and labor-friendly materials. The ground floor is an open space, where the 1st floor is supported with two load-bearing walls, separating the residential part from the garage and the technical room. The floor is designed as an open space and is divided only by traverse walls – the wooden roof is not supported and lies only on the perimeter masonry.
The façade is designed in white acrylic with details around the windows glazed façade cladding in a black gloss finish. The window openings are in an aluminum system. The windows are in a black, glossy finish with internal white textile shading. The uniqueness of the house design supports the surface treatment of a roof made of a white liquid membrane. The unification of the facade and roof surfaces unifies the shape of the house and helps express the architecture of the house itself.
The interior has an austere material solution. Each room has a basic white chroma, and is always complemented by a wooden detail. A great importance was placed on the element of the interior and the exterior lighting – in its design, function and technical aspects. Lighting becomes the jewel of the house, bringing home high-quality lighting and emotion through various lighting scenes. The lighting is the author’s own solution as all the lights have been developed and made to measure.
Design and info © Zitnansky Gonda architects
Images © Matej Hakár
