Dezeen Magazine

Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný

Atelier Hajný references rural Czech cabins for triangular housing block

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.

Gable facade of Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Atelier Hajný referenced rural Czech cabins for the Hut-Inspired Home near Prague

"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."

Timber clad facade of the Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
The building's gabled form conceals two apartments and a main home in a single volume

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.

Internal gabled ceiling in the Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
The upper level rooms were configured within the pitched roof to create additional height

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."

Sheltered balcony with timber battens at the Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
The triangular roof creates a sheltered balcony covered by an open screen of timber battens

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.

Internal CLT finishes in the Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Panels of cross laminated timber and exposed ceiling beams define the home's interior finishes

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

More images and plans

Floor plan of Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Floor plan
Floor plan of Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Floor plan
Section of Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Section
Elevation of Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Elevation
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný
Hut-inspired House by Atelier Hajný