House Under the Castle

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

House Under the Castle

MODULORA

ARCHITECTS
Modulora

PHOTOGRAPHS
Martin Kocich

AREA
180 M² 

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Most, Czech Republic

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The elevation in Most on which Hněvín castle stands forms the dominant landmark of this northern Bohemian city.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

The southern slope is covered with vineyards, and the northern slope with allotment gardens.

The latter has been undergoing a gradual transformation away from recreational use by cottage gardeners, towards the year-round inhabitation of individual residential properties.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

The land plot in question, which is located in the upper half of the northern slope, has several peculiar aspects that had to be dealt with.

A conical, irregular shape; undersized access via a local one-way road; a significant downhill gradient - but also, and in spite of all this, a gorgeous view across the ČSA strip mine of the Ore Mountains, a massif crowned with wind turbines.

This particular spot, as well as the city at large, are full of contrasts.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

A landscape violated by the declining coal strip mining industry is juxtaposed against the primeval vista of the massif that is the Ore Mountains.

The specific character of the plot had fundamental impact on where to put the house, and how to resolve its mass composition. The footprint of the house follows the line of the extant support wall.

The house is inserted into the hillside on a platform such that its mono-pitched roof traces the inward slope of the road above the land plot.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

In this manner, the bulk of the house interferes minimally with the road, and does not obstruct the view of the valley below.

The overall composition culminates in the upper floor, reminiscent of a spire, which affords the best views of all rooms inside the house.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich
House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich

The interior is dominated by clean shapes and lines, with a basic color palette of white, grey, and yellow.

The large windows create framed landscape panoramas – ever-changing pictures of the outdoors.

House Under the Castle
© Martin Kocich


House Under the Castle
Section
House Under the Castle
Section


House Under the Castle
Ground Floor Plan
House Under the Castle
First Floor Plan
House Under the Castle
Site Plan