This is an old, 80-year old house with elaborate craftsmanship and a family history that is a part of its identity. The current residents want to adapt the house to the contemporary way of life. However, everything that had been there before is important to them as well. The building has a surprisingly flexible structural system that allows almost complete cleaning of the main living floor. This freedom of a new layout will bring us to quite a long search for a suitable solution. The solution that will be appropriate for the lifestyle of the clients and will not sacrifice the conventional way in which the house had been functioning for many years. Although only one floor of the house is going to be accomplished for the time being, the design deals with the whole house. The house remains without significant changes from the street view. I propose a three-tier terrace facing towards the garden, which extends the living space on each floor into the outdoors while creating new connections of the floors and the garden where necessary. Whereas a separate staircase with a special entry on each floor offers different scenarios for the future use of the other residential floors, I try to propose such interventions that offer the greatest variability.

Design: 2013

Project: 2013

Built-up area: 140 m²

Enclosed volume: 850 m³

Photo: Pavol Mičáň