Les Archinautes: The building is located in the heart of Bohemian Forest with a view of Lipno lake. This cabin was built on a place where an old wooden cabin used to be. It is designed to provide the perfect base for nearby mountain sports in all conditions.
The design follows the urbanism of the buildings in its neighborhood and respects the height conditions in the area. The land is screened by forest from the regional railway line, which passes through the territory to the northeast. A narrower part of the Lipno lake opens to the southeast behind the track, there lies the mouth of the Vltava River.
The morphology of the house stands on several principles of Bohemian Forest architecture: rectangular floor plan, compact shape, orientation along the contour line, creation of a covered porch, and more pronounced articulation of the gable (overhang). The building is single-story with an attic. The height alignment of the eaves plane with the lintel of the windows and doors on one horizontal line is a contemporary interpretation of the cornice.
The view of Lipno lake, with two major peaks in the background, becomes the main point of the project. The living space of the house is centered around the dominant gabled square window facing toward the lake. The other windows have a direct view of the forest. The forest is present in the interior as a material, smell, and color. One small room, a bathroom, a laundry room, a small sauna, and a room for storing sports and technical equipment are located on the ground floor. The attic hides a bathroom, a pantry and two bedrooms with a circular window in the gable, framing other peaks in the area.
Three sides of the house are lined by a wooden terrace, which, depending on its variable width, creates, together with a significant overhang of the roof, a space for various uses (sitting in the sun and in the shade, a sauna rest room, storage of wood and bicycles).
The building is designed as a wooden structure made of CLT panels visible in the interior. The cladding of the facade consists of vertical larch profiles, the windows are complemented by integrated sliding shutters, and the roof is sheet metal. The building was realised by a family company 3AE which worked in close collaboration with the author. Besides the final quality of the building, they also ensured a high level of detail execution. Shared values, a sense for detail and an appreciation of natural materials make the final result resonate.
Additional information
The lakeside mountain cabin is based on the traditional concept of Bohemian Forest buildings, which are by their very nature wooden, compact and cozy. The wooden walls are complemented by a massive beam ceiling. On the second floor, the ceiling is built using modern and innovative technology Novatop Open panels.
Wooden walls in the interior create a pleasant and warm atmosphere. In combination with a crackling fire in the fireplace and a view of the Lipno lake with the snow-covered mountain peaks, it is not far from perfection.
The clients are enthusiastic athletes and whether they are returning from backcountry skiing in winter or from a long trek in summer, they know that a hot sauna, relaxation by the water, and the smell of the surrounding forest are waiting for them at home. Those are the right finishing touches to a successful trip.
The exposed wood in the interior is painted with hard wax oil with white pigment and a UV filter. This will ensure that the wood retains its fresh color for decades to come while allowing the interior to breathe. The feeling of wood and the smell of wood in the interior enable our clients to have a healthy and pleasant life.
The construction made of solid wood is not only cozy but also ecological. This house contains about 50 m3 of wood, which binds 43 tons of CO2. This is the same amount that a car would produce by driving 390,000 kilometers. During construction, more CO2 is sequestered than produced. In addition, the house is 80-90% completely recyclable. More than 90% of the weight of the house is made in the Czech Republic, by Czech masters, from Czech materials and Czech wood.
About studio
Gabriela Králová
is a Czech architect working in Lyon, France, where (in 2017) she co-founded the studio Les archinautes together with Estelle Morlé. During her previous architectural practice, she gained experience in Japan (Raymond Architectural Design Office), in Portugal (fala atelier) and in the Czech Republic in studios Uhlík architekti and Aulík Fišer architekti. In her practice, she focuses on public amenities, new buildings made of sustainable materials, reconstructions and extensions of town and family houses and their adaptation to the climate crisis.
3AE
is a Czech family-owned company specializing itself in individual architectural design, projection and building of low-energy and passive houses. It deals with houses from the architectural study to the handover of the keys, including interior design and landscape architecture. 3AE s.r.o. build houses from massive wooden panels, which are made in the Czech Republic from Czech wood. Solid wood is used as a decorative element in the interior. Structurally bold and modern buildings with large glazing are possible from this system. The company has been operating for 12 years and has built over 130 high-quality houses.
