Local studio Atelier Hajný has created a charred timber-clad housing block near Prague that references a holiday cabin visited by the client since his childhood.
Named Hut-Inspired House, the simple, 180-square-metre house in the town of Říčany is based on the gabled form of cabins near the site that are now being demolished due to the redevelopment of the area.
"The new zoning plan in the entire area is set for the construction of family homes, so the huts here are gradually disappearing," explained Atelier Hajný founder Martin Hajný.
"We agreed with the client that due to the character of the area and the sentimental relationship to the original building, it would be appropriate to take into account the appearance and shape of the old hut."
Although it takes on the appearance of a single dwelling, Hut-Inspired House is divided internally into two standalone studio apartments and a main home, which is organised across two storeys.
On the ground floor, the separate studio apartments sit beside the living area and kitchen of the main home, which opens onto a patio and a garden through sliding glazed doors.
Above, the bedrooms and study of the main home enjoy the additional height created by the steeply-pitched roof, which is lined internally with pale timber.
At the back of the home, the triangular form of the gable roof projects outwards to create a balcony that shelters the patio below, covered by an open screen of vertical timber battens.
"We wanted to keep the lower deck from rain so we decided to place a cantilevered balcony in front of the master bedroom," Hajný told Dezeen.
"When trying to come up with a railing design, it felt natural to use the wooden planks and support the gable triangle shape – the balcony also faces the railway so it helps to lower the noise a bit."
Inside, a finish of "unobtrusive and natural" panels of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and exposed ceiling beams offer another nod to the appearance of traditional Czech cabins.
The charred timber of the exterior is referenced in the black counters and units in the kitchen as well as by areas of full-height, black-stained timber storage that divide the first floor.
The traditional form and materials of rural Czech buildings was also the reference point for another home near Prague by Studio Circle Growth, which contrasted a more traditional exterior with contemporary pine-lined interiors.
The photography is by Radek Úlehla