Cottage on the hillside

In the hillside above the Krkonoš village of Strážné, there once stood a timber cottage. It was consumed by the era of mass recreation, along with respect for ownership, craftsmanship, people, things, and nature. The original cottage was hidden beneath layers of reconstructions, extensions, and additions, poor quality patches, and plastic laminate cladding.

Unfortunately, almost nothing remains of the original cottage to be salvaged. A negligible amount of preserved original structures was predominantly in poor technical condition. The goal, therefore, became less about preserving the material and more about rediscovering the soul of the building.

The Krkonoš region features buildings with massive, steep roofs that once allowed survival through long winters. With hayloft dormers, asymmetrical roof placement on low timber constructions creating a porch, and weatherboarding on the gables. With stone bases and a tripartite layout. That is precisely the type of building we wanted to restore to its rightful place.

The aim of the design was to create an authentic atmosphere of a cottage without resorting to historicizing elements lacking any real historical value. We did not attempt to fit contemporary spatial principles into a traditional volume, but rather the opposite – to create a contemporary building while using traditional spatial principles. Thus, the main room retained the atmosphere of a closed, safe, intimate space. Its dimensions – and subsequently the scale of other rooms – were determined by one of the few preserved elements: the beam ceiling. This defined the ceiling height and overall proportion of the space. Thanks to a combination of opening and frameless glazing, the rhythm of traditional construction was preserved in both the exterior and interior, while the interior opened up to views of the landscape.

Today, the cottage offers comfortable spaces for the family and their friends.

The heart of the ground floor is the main room with comfortable seating under the windows and a large table. In addition to the main room, a guest room and staircase have been added to the volume of the original cottage. The toilets built during the socialist era have been transformed into a sauna with facilities.

Between the slope and the original volume of the cottage, storage and technical facilities have been inserted for everything that may come in handy in the mountains – a pantry, laundry room, equipment for skiing and cycling, a workshop, a technical room, and a combined washing area for a dog and bike.

The attic spaces are generously opened in the spirit of the original under-roof spaces and provide privacy for individual family members. The rooms in the gables offer breathtaking views of the Krkonoš ridges.

The technical equipment of the building is designed with consideration for the location of the cottage. The intent was not demonstrative technological self-sufficiency, but rather as simple, functional, and unobtrusive operation as possible. Despite its isolated position in the landscape, the building is connected to the electrical grid. Heating and hot water preparation is managed by a ground-water heat pump with a geothermal borehole. The building is supplied with water from a nearby spring, and wastewater is treated in its own sewage treatment plant.