Duple House Preslova

The house is located in the courtyard of the Brno residential district, which is known among builders for the concentrated opposition of long-time residents to any new construction. This is most likely due to their perception that the residential neighborhood is complete and there is no place to build, and possibly also due to their above-average economic means and legal expertise.
The original intention to realize an apartment building was therefore reassessed due to anticipated complications from neighbors. Two family houses were created, each with three apartments, and these houses are connected into one unit - a duplex.
The construction site is rather steeply sloping. The lower part, closer to the access road, is utilized for parking, partly outdoor and partly under canopies that also contain storage compartments. The roof of the parking canopies is designed as a green roof to create as large a garden as possible in front of the house. The house is situated in the higher part of the plot behind a mature pine tree, which represented the only existing valuable greenery. It was successfully preserved during construction and today forms a cohesive unit with the house.
The duplex has the form of a compact prism with a simple composition of window openings. Both longitudinal facades emphasize the horizontal character of the building, and their arrangement is axially symmetrical.
The slope of the terrain and the favorable orientation of the plot in relation to the cardinal directions and views allowed for a clear orientation of layouts and the character of the longitudinal facades. The southern facade opens to the sun and views with large windows with lowered sills and balconies at the corners. The northern facade is closed, and smaller grouped window openings illuminate only the non-living spaces.
The most important part of the apartment consists of a generous space with a kitchen and dining area as the focal point of family life and a place for gatherings with friends. The living area, or rather an intimate corner, is intended as a place for sitting with a book. The outdoor balconies on the upper floors lie on the boundary between the social and private parts of the living space.
All apartments have two bedrooms and ample storage space – a dressing room, niches for wardrobes, a laundry corner.
Structurally, the house is designed as a longitudinal two-wing structure with a central load-bearing wall. The outer walls are made of ceramic blocks without insulation, and the ceilings are concrete monolithic. The heating technology and hot water preparation using an air-to-water heat pump are above standard.