a family house in hlubočepy
RO_aR Architects, led by Szymon Rozwalka, have designed a stunning Family House in Hlubočepy, Czech Republic, which is set to become a unique architectural landmark within its residential context. The house is situated on the border of two contrasting worlds — the urban and the natural — with the Dalejský Brook ‘bio-corridor’ on one side and a sprawl of urban development on the other.
The design of the house is a direct response to this context, aiming to seamlessly extend the natural surroundings into the interior spaces while creating a distinct separation from the urban environment. The house is envisioned as an abstract body that harmonizes with the surrounding rocks in the background, creating a harmonious visual contrast.
images © Viola Hertelová | @viol.hertelova
the house under a hill
The team at RO_aR Architects notes that one of the key challenges in the design process was to ensure proper natural illumination of the interiors, while navigating the issue of the narrow entrance and the neighboring building’s ‘problematic location’ on the southern boundary of the site. From the start, the architects conceived a building that incorporated land deformation, smoothly transitioning from the natural slope on the north-west side into an artificial hill beneath which the house would be nestled. The south-eastern side of the hill was to be undercut, creating an entrance patio with a different rectangular geometry.
ro_ar architects overcomes challenges
Due to budget constraints, RO_aR Architects was called to reimagine this initial design, significantly scaling down its vision. The team took a bold approach, directly cutting away ‘unnecessary’ elements. ‘Such a deliberately primitive and direct cut-off has in places resulted in surprisingly good effects, in other places the effect was worse,’ write the architects. Despite these challenges, the interior spaces, which were originally designed to reflect the clash between organic and rectangular geometries, remained largely unaffected.
The Family House in Hlubočepy by RO_AR Architects promises to be a unique work of architecture that, with its pared-back timber facade, seamlessly blends with its natural surroundings while standing out as a distinct form in the urban context. The innovative design approach and the careful consideration of the site’s challenges demonstrate the team’s commitment to creating meaningful spaces that push the boundaries of design.
the design seeks to extend the natural context into the interiors 
the house becomes an abstract body, separate from the ‘urban world’
