House with a studio for F. Dvořák

During his studies at Umprum, Jan Kaplický reconstructed the attic of a 16th-century house in the historical center of Prague. After school, he was approached by screenwriter Jaroslav Dietl, asking if he could modernize his villa with a garden in Ořechovka. Kaplický's first new building was a simple family house with a studio for F. Dvořák, both in form and size. It is the last project by Kaplický before his emigration abroad and also the only one of his constructions in the Czech Republic. The owner built this two-story house himself and completed it only after the architect had already been living in exile in Great Britain. The layout, with its simplicity, somewhat resembles the plans of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The brick walls are covered with white plaster, and the roof consists of steel beams covered with galvanized sheet metal.
The owner has been living happily in the house for over thirty years, and during my last visit, it seemed that nothing had changed about this fact. From the northern slope, there is a beautiful view of Prague. This is also where most of the diffused light comes into the studio. Although the owner does not have the money for repairs, this has allowed everything to remain in its original state. So far, the only building by Jan Kaplický on Czech territory certainly deserves more care.