Villa with a fountain

Smells are sensations. If they are pleasant smells, we can call them fragrances. These sensations can be obtained through olfactory receptors. The combination of several specific fragrances creates what is called the scent of home. For Gréta, the scent of caramelized sugar and fruit juices, which intertwined with the aroma of freshly watered flowers in the winter garden, where fruit pies were also served, was associated with home since childhood. Last but not least, part of the scent of home was the musty smell of old guidebooks from all over the world. They quietly and motionlessly rested in the living room library for perhaps decades, reminding of the journeys of her then-young parents to countries that no longer exist.

Klára opened the window and the cool morning air rushed into the bedroom. Every morning she wakes up like this and enjoys their house, which is no longer newly renovated. Today is Gréta's twentieth birthday. Petr went to get a bouquet at the station, and Klára must quickly bake the blueberry pie that Gréta loves so much. The kitchen was filled with the aroma of yeast dough with crumble, and puffs of sweet flavors and burnt juice from blueberries, which had overflowed from the baking dish onto the bottom of the oven, escaped from the open oven. Gréta is on her way from Vienna, where she studies at university. The gate clicked, signaling that the two of them are already home from the airport. “Kiliáne, come down, your sister is here!” Klára shouted to the growing teenager and flew to the door. Before she could run down the hallway, she realized that Gréta had taken the route around the fountain to surprise her mom. The suitcases thudded against the tiled floor in the winter garden and a voice chimed: “Phew, finally home.”

Petr looked at the man, who in both appearance and behavior resembled someone from the Kludský or Beroušek family. A sturdy guy with a casually unbuttoned shirt and a robust chest hair was supposed to become their partner in building the house. The guy was wielding a vocabulary that might give someone the confidence that the renovation would be "piece of cake," but Petr did not share that feeling. A strange shiver at the nape of his neck hinted that this construction would have a story.

Pavel arrived at the meeting on time. His old Škoda Superb confidently avoided a few potholes while passing through the broken road in Prague 5 and announced to passersby that it had journeyed across Europe to sunny Croatia several times. This was so its crew could catch a bit of a tan and let their twisted chest hairs turn golden under the Mediterranean sun. However, being on time for a meeting with new clients is absolutely paramount, so the car jumped over a few more unpatched Prague craters and stopped at the agreed meeting spot. The informal environment with a hint of cigarette-laden past and the present scent of sour beer would be a good test of the courage of the people who decided to build a house with Pavel.

Kilián ran down from his room. He stopped in the winter garden and watched as the sun reflected off the surface of the fountain onto the ceiling, casting dozens of golden piglets. Outside, it was that kind of heat that scorches lawns in summer and helps local gardeners produce the sweetest strawberries for miles around. His sister will wait, he smiled, swung over the ladder, and jumped into the icy water from the suitcase. Mom just raised an eyebrow and started slicing the pie.

“Good day, Jakub and Honza. Thank you for coming to meet us from Liberec; we’re glad to meet you in person. Attached are the promised plans and a short summary of our situation.” This was written in the received email. But I am not Jakub, Lukáš lamented as he quickly skimmed through the confused introduction of the message once more. It was half past four in the afternoon, the sun was pounding against the lead-gray curtains, and mercilessly drying all the dazed flies caught between the window and the curtain. The air conditioning was humming at full blast, and the classic coffee smell mingled with the stench of cigarettes and the air conditioning floated through the study. If someone wanted to create a Mjölk perfume, its body would consist just of these ingredients.

The villa with the fountain is a reconstructed First Republic weekend house. When we first saw it, it didn’t look like it does today. It was burdened with layers that had stuck to it over the years, and its First Republic spark was long gone. Today the villa shines again. Stately pines stretch above its roof, and silvery flags of light reflect from the water's surface into the winter garden with a ficus. From a distance, the sound of a passing train can be heard, and now and then the scent of the river wafts through the valley not far from the house.

Technical Information
The architectural solution is based on cleansing the existing family house of an unsuitable garage extension. In place of the garage, a simple entrance mass has been designed that does not disrupt the character of the family villa. The covered parking area with an entrance to the communication is located at the boundary of the plot and is accessible via a newly adjusted pedestrian path to the main entrance of the house and to the existing terrace. Furthermore, the reconstruction of the existing fence was carried out along a length of 47.5 m towards the street. In the interior of the family house, design changes were proposed that required enlarging some openings in load-bearing walls, demolishing some partitions, and enlarging openings on the façade facing the garden. The character and main mass of the house were preserved. The proposal for the exterior included the replacement of window fillings, insulation of the building, new plastering, and a new roof.

Material and Color Solution
The simplicity of the design is also reflected in the material and color solution. The materials used for the original building were only replaced with new ones. The roof and façade have a similar character to before the renovation began. The façade was insulated, and there was a replacement of window fillings.

Layout and Operational Solution, Production Technology
The family house is designed for 4 people, which corresponds to the simple layout solution. The entrance to the building is from the northwest from the street. The entrance with a vestibule is mass-separated from the residential part. Through the vestibule with built-in wardrobes, one enters the hall with the staircase to the second floor, with access to the guest room, kitchen, and the main living part of the house with an exit to the terrace. On the second floor, there is a room for two children, a study, the main bedroom with a bathroom and walk-in closet.