Family house in Chvalíkovice

Family house, located in a small village on the southern edge of Opava, could serve as inspiration for other builders to construct an outstanding house under the conditions of the Czech Republic at the beginning of the 21st century. Both the investor and the architect, as well as the construction company, did excellent work with great commitment.
The investors of the house in Chvalíkovice are not common in our country. It has become the norm that new family houses are automatically built in suburban areas, and new builders do not rush into the built-up areas of existing municipalities. However, in our case, it was clear from the beginning that a plot in the suburb was not the right path and that the place for a new house must look different from the dissected field outside the city. Our investors embarked on a difficult journey through the municipal offices in the Opava region. Disappointment followed disappointment, and many would have given up searching for potential plots for a family house, but patience paid off. In Chvalíkovice, the builders found an incredible plot on a hill above the village, with a perfect view of the foothills of the Jeseníky Mountains and into the vast Opava plain. The neighboring forest hides a system of three ponds, and it is not uncommon to see wild game grazing in the meadows nearby. The laborious work bore sweet fruit, and just six kilometers from the city, where both parents work and children go to school.
The next step - selecting an architect - was easy for the builders. They knew the work of local architect Tomáš Bindr from personal experience. His enthusiasm after the personal visit to the plot confirmed their choice, and there was a short wait for the architect's concept of what kind of house to build on the site. Of the possible variants, the most appealing was the most modest in expression. A single-story prism with a green roof, which "raised the meadow one floor higher", grows out of the environment and enhances its genius loci.
The size of the house was influenced by both the budget and the practicality of the investor. The request for a "spatially reasonable" house was excellently fulfilled by the architect. The size of the plot allowed the house to be developed in just one floor, without expensive staircases and ceilings. Toward the south, the house opens generously with a glassed living room with a fireplace into the landscape, while toward the north, the number of window openings decreases in the bedrooms, culminating in an impenetrable stone wall protecting the house from northern rain and snow. The architect utilizes a proven three-tract layout with a central corridor. For the invested resources, the builders received spatial maximum. They appreciate the economical and very functional layout of the house every day, and their life in the house is full of comfort and peace.
Even with a modest budget for the house, the builders decided to invest in quality materials with longevity and user comfort. The load-bearing structure of the house consists of precise YTONG blocks, and the corner of the living room features a wooden frame. The pair of slanted wooden columns are the most prominent element on the facade, seemingly wanting to draw closer to the nearby forest rather than conventional building elements. The windows and doors are wooden. The motif of regionalism is represented by the stone walls from a nearby quarry. The green roof concludes the builders' and architect's efforts for a harmonious placement of the building in the environment. The pronounced horizontality of the outer volume integrates the house into the landscape and confirms the statement of the famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright: "The horizontal is the line of life." Nature and the house play a balanced game in Chvalíkovice.
Inside, along with natural linoleum, there are also elements made of solid wood, which have even found their place in the bathroom, which is not seen very often. The furnishing with furniture is effortless, and instead of impractical decorative design, the investors chose simple practicality and simplicity. The most beautiful element of the interior is undoubtedly the view of the landscape.
It would be wonderful if the story from Chvalíkovice near Opava inspired other builders and gave many of them courage on their difficult journey to their own house. We value the gain that comes through a more difficult and longer path more. In this case, the gain is a beautiful house in a beautiful environment. A house where life will be good and into which one will joyfully return.

The building won the J. M. Olbrich Award for 2007
Main Award for Building of the Moravian-Silesian Region 2007 in the category of Family Houses