Mountain cottage
Buildings for dwelling, accommodation and recreation in hilly surroundings
We all love holidays in the hills: the crackle of an open fire, a group of friends and unspoiled natural surroundings through the windows of a cosy cottage. We love designing such buildings because the opportunity to place architecture in the open countryside does not occur every day. We would almost say it is a chance-in-a-million. The work is an immense responsibility, not only towards clients, but also with regard to the surrounding conditions, which definitely go beyond the interests of one person. Building in the mountains demands an experienced builder and a responsible approach by the architect. Thus the result can be not only in accordance with the law, but also in harmony with the natural surroundings, which is one of the key characteristics of good architecture. A building like that can bring unusual design features, without causing any damage.
Stone wood, modern, economical technology and shapes which adjust to their surroundings. These are the basic ingredients for designing a mountain cottage. Czech law is strict. In protected areas, it is not possible to build what you like where you like. Some see it as a restriction, but in our experience it is generally beneficial. There are manuals on how to approach projects in such circumstances, and an intelligent person can see that these provide instructions in order to avoid destroying the countryside. Before you take the decision to build in the hills, we will help you to study carefully and understand the conditions of the local area plan and all other existing legislation. It often happens that you might not realise what you could possibly be up to. In the hills, it is twice as important to make thorough preparations before starting such a project.
We would also like to extinguish the myth that it's impossible to build a modern building in the hills or that anything new must resemble a two hundred-year old cottage. It's true the materials used, the type of roof inclines, the typical substances or traditional details are not coincidential. Over hundreds of years they were formed by the surroundings, and at the present time we can borrow them in a modern form. For example, we have dealt with KRNAP (Krkonoše National Park) many times, and even in such surroundings it is possible to truly shift architecture forward, even by taking small, careful steps.
If you love mountains and have sufficient resources and motivation to realise your building project there, then you can definitely count on us.
Would you like to cooperate with us? Contact us on Facebook, telephone +420 733 546 097, or e-mail: office(at)architects(dot)cz.