Balancing act: a modernist tree-house in Prague by Jan Šépka
Built on the outskirts of Prague, Jan Šépka's House in the Orchard looks like a hybrid of John Lautner's famous Chemosphere house in Los Angeles and Antti Lovag‘s Palais Bulles in southern France. But the true idea of the house is much humbler than the architecture of these glamorous icons of modernism.
House in the Orchard is the latest residential project by Šépka, a Czech architect and co-founder of the internationally-acclaimed studio HŠH. Celebrated for its unconventional living concepts, the studio has built several experimental private residences around the Czech Republic. Now, Šépka continues with this original approach to personal living space.
Designed for an old friend, the house is situated in a beautiful natural garden surrounded by trees. The steep site inspired Šépka to build a house elevated on a single concrete pillar. 'Maybe it looks like a whimsical decision, but this solution actually saved a big amount of our budget. Considering the difficult conditions, a classical foundation would be more demanding financially, Šépka explains of his structural solution.
The house's organic structure is also the result of a practical construction idea. 'Before the implementation, the beams were precisely cut on a 3D milling machine and the construction was merely assembled like a construction set on-site,' says Šépka. The irregular shape is divided into triangular spaces, which assure the stability of the wooden build and also allowed the placement of birch plywood boards. 'The shape is simply the result of the structural decision and was modelled by computer,' adds the architect.
The three-storey structure has a living area of 80 sq m and is covered in plywood sheets, which were then sprayed with a layer of polyurethane and covered with a grey, waterproof skin, resembling concrete or natural rock. Inside, the first floor is dominated by the main living space, opened via expanding windows with views of the beautiful natural surroundings on the north side. Ladder-like steps lead to the second and third floors with the bedrooms, bathroom and study on the top floor. The large skylight window in the study lights the open interior from the south through all stories. Šépka also designed custom-built plywood furniture for the interior.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Šépka Architects website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Explore Cornwall's cosiest coffee shops
Cornwall is known for its natural beauty and stunning landscape, here is our pick of coffee shops to enjoy the views and refuel
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
A new exhibition marks Chandigarh’s modernist legacy
‘Celebrating the Capitol’, an exhibition of photographic work by architect Noor Dasmesh Singh, opens just in time for the famed modernist Indian city’s anniversary
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Join our tour of London Zoo, its modernist architecture and more
London Zoo is a well-established magnet for younger visitors, but there's plenty for the architecture enthusiast to admire too; our tour explores its modernist treasures for guests of all ages
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
La Grande Motte: touring the 20th-century modernist dream of a French paradise resort
La Grande Motte and its utopian modernist dreams, as seen through the lens of photographers Laurent Kronental and Charly Broyez, who spectacularly captured the 20th-century resort community in the south of France
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' captured in new monograph like no book before
'The Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces' chronicles hundreds of iconic structures from this golden age of architectural expression
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Discover Tempe à Pailla, a lesser-known Eileen Gray gem nestled in the French Riviera
Tempe à Pailla is a modernist villa in the French Riviera brimming with history, originally designed by architect Eileen Gray and extended by late British painter Graham Sutherland
By Tianna Williams Published
-
'American Modern' surveys the 'total community' modernist project that was Columbus, Indiana
'American Modern', a new publication zooming in on the lesser-known architectural gems of Columbus, Indiana, and their impact, is out this month
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
'Tropicality' explored in Indonesian architect Andra Matin’s first monograph
'Tropicality' is a key theme in a new book on Indonesian architect Andra Matin, whose work blends landscape, architecture and living
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
Niemeyer’s modernism celebrated in Oscar Ibirapuera, an example of 21st-century São Paulo living
Perkins&Will completes Oscar Ibirapuera, next to Niemeyer’s modernist landmark park in São Paulo, Brazil
By Ellie Stathaki Published