Family house in Štípa

Purely prosaically, one could say that the architect responded to the conditions of a difficult parcel defined by three roads by directing the life of the inhabitants into an intimate atrium. The facades of the house contain a minimum of openings. However, let us try to fabricate a more poetic version.

The development of Czech satellite towns is lamentable. Not to mention urbanism. The portfolio of model houses from gamekeepers' lodges to dollhouses creates bizarre ensembles in the territory. Is this building truly a reflection of contemporary life? Certainly not, but why is this happening? One theory suggests that it is a response from builders to the current complex and hectic lifestyle. Builders seek solid security in their homes—a historical archetype that is emotionally tied to long-term stability. In other words, it represents a rigid attachment to the past, as the investor has enough of the present in work and media, and their house is precisely that castle that will not be besieged by stress.
Since I am not a supporter of regressive development, let's now try to find a way out of this strange situation. Putting aside the desires to build the status of modern gamekeepers, landowners, and lords of castles, we are left with rational reasons from builders striving for peaceful living, in nature and in harmony. An applicable way out could be inspiration from Eastern cultures. It would certainly be healthier than the contrived constructs like "a house is a machine for living," etc. Let’s take a look at the traditional Japanese house. I am particularly interested in one that contains a meditative space of a Zen garden in its center. It creates a harmonious microcosm around which the dwelling unfolds. On the exterior, the house is "blind" and protects privacy. In modern architecture, this concept has perhaps been best metamorphosed by Toyo Ito in the White U house in Tokyo (1976). The concrete mass in the shape of a closed U with a sloped roof facing the atrium—what a fantastic cut! Indeed, the Japanese are masters in working with atria-gardens. Similarly to the Dutch, but with the Japanese, one finds more relaxation.
In the cramped parcel space of satellite towns, an atrium house seems like a good choice. Certainly in the case of the Sládeček house in Štípa. I must admit that this house is the first "atrium" I have visited. Despite the smaller scale of the building or the atrium, the interior space feels incredibly vast. Everything is polarized—the center of the house is the atrium. Concentric compositions always have more impact than linear ones or others. This works well in cities—compare Olomouc and Zlín. Is it due to the flow of energy?
The danger of these houses lies in their semantic confusion for the observer. A house without windows is not common in our geographical latitudes and evokes: transformer stations, self-service stores, car workshops… On the other hand, the cladding material and overall form stand out. However, this is precisely what I criticize the architects from New Work for, even though I realize that I am on thin ice. In Štípa, I am irritated by the mass of the garage jammed into a sheet metal amoeba, yet with the passage of time, I recognize the cleverness of this solution and the overall approach of New Work to the formal conception of the building. Frank Lloyd Wright already said that his houses could grow new branches and still look good. I find the aversion to monumental forms very sympathetic in Sládeček's work. As a result, his houses have greater aesthetic longevity than buildings or interiors that are only amazing in the first week after completion. The form of the family house in Štípa requires the viewer's eye to get used to it for a while; it is not a model for one night, but rather a practical woman for a lifetime.
I do not believe in the revelation of a universal conception of a house that would solve the problem of mushy housing in the landscape. However, in Štípa, there is a precedent on which it is possible to develop one direction of discussion about which path to take in the urban solution of new satellites.