| Object type: | Low-energy house |
| Location: | Ledenice |
| Designer: | Ing. Josef Vostracký |
| Specific need of heat for heating: | up to 50 kWh/(m2a) |
| Structure: | Insulated construction |
HELUZ assortment used
An investor has a brick and generously glass-walled "user friendly" house built and wouldn't change a thing
House Built Just Right
The investor's private selection procedure process started with three very different studies. The design of the (HELUZ) brick and generously glass-walled (Schüco) house by the Vostracký Atelier won out for its practicality and perfect understanding of the needs and wishes of the future owner, including the Ladovian view of the church and rectory from the corner, the impressively glass-walled study on the first floor and from the terrace on the ground floor. The master of the house would not change anything from the original design, even after three years of living there, because he is happy to live and work there - better than is common for first private buildings.
The house represents an intersection of all the investor's requirements – it is low-energy (passed the Blower door), with a perfect layout and connection to the garden, provides beautiful views and its original shape of a truncated pyramid harmonizes with the atypical plot. "In the brief for the architects I had my idea for the functionality of the house in terms of the number and character of the rooms. Each design was completely different and I simply liked the design of Mr. Vostracký, moreover, it was the most practical for me in terms of long-term use, I would say it was 'user friendly'. And as the architect drew the house, he built it, I wouldn't change anything," praises the investor.
Unobstructed view of the picturesque old village with its church
The investor was in agreement from the very beginning and nothing had to be changed conceptually. Discussions began and ended only over the details and a brick building with a ventilated façade clad in larch battens and façade boards and large glass-walled areas was built on a sloping plot of 1,281 m². The land at the driveway is oriented to the south-west on the longer side and overlooks the originally early Gothic church of St. Lawrence and the adjacent rectory. The living rooms and the large study located on the first floor are situated so that the owner has an unobstructed view of the picturesque old village. The sloping nature of the property both laterally and towards the driveway makes the house a great viewing point.
The plan has the form of a truncated pyramid
"In our design we focused as always on maximizing the use of the land. The resulting garden must be dominant, coherent and the house must be visually and functionally connected to it as much as possible. The floor plan of the building has the form of a truncated pyramid and the atypical shape of the house suits it. The building is set back to the north-west corner of the site, so that the main south glass-walled façade projects into the garden and the northern one is parallel to the property boundary. This maximises the garden area in front of the house. In front of the garage there is space for free parking of up to three cars, which is not fenced due to the elevation of the land above the road," says architect Ing. Josef Vostracký.
The house is divided into two parts connected by a terrace. One part of the building consists of the aforementioned underground floor with a garage, above it is a space used for business meetings or gatherings with friends, there is also a small bathroom and a sauna. The owner appreciates that especially business visitors do not interfere with the private living space. From the garage, a staircase ascends to the covered terrace, which is on the ground floor level. The terrace connects the first part of the house with the second, where the family facilities are located. On the north side, the terrace is walled, which has created a wonderful microclimate here – the covered area is well hidden from view from the outside and the owners can enjoy not only the terrace, but also the adjacent pool.
From the terrace there is an entrance to the mentioned private part of the house. There is a vestibule, a living room with a dining area facing the garden, a kitchen with direct access to the terrace and a bedroom. From the living room, an interior staircase leads to the first floor, where there is a study, a children's room, a bathroom and a dressing room. "There were originally supposed to be two rooms, a study and a children's room, in the place of the current study. We haven't installed the partition yet, because I don't have any children so far, but it will always be possible to partition the space," says the owner, explaining the current generosity of the forty-metre-long study, who initially had to resist the urge to enjoy the view of the village houses instead of working. The study also has access to a pitched roof over the ground floor, so he can go outside and "clear his head and gaze over the countryside".
Brick construction with aluminium windows helped to obtain subsidies
In order for the house to receive subsidies from the Green Savings Programme, HELUZ FAMILY 25 bricks and Schüco AWS 90.SI+ aluminium window systems with triple insulating glass were used for the perimeter walls with façade cladding. The underground floor is bricked of scarf concrete blocks, the ceiling is made of reinforced concrete. The roof is pitched to the north and is made of wooden KVH beams, insulated with 400 mm thick blown insulation. Underneath there is also an installation ceiling with 80 mm mineral matting. The façade consists of materials with a natural design - larch battens and Cembrit façade boards. "When I design a plaster for the façade, I use HELUZ FAMILY 2in1 masonry with a thickness of 500 mm without the need for additional insulation. If the façade is clad with boards or timber, I choose HELUZ FAMILY bricks 250 mm thick, in front of which I place a double grid with a mineral mat and a suspended façade. In the technical solutions that I use in connection with the architecture and thermal insulation parameters, the HELUZ brick system suits me perfectly, it has all the necessary solutions available," said ing. Josef Vostracký.
The house successfully passed the airtightness measurement (airtightness), the so-called Blower door test, to which, in addition to the masonry, also contributed high-quality Schüco aluminium windows and doors. "The windows for a passive house must meet a total heat transfer coefficient value for the entire window of max. 0.8 W/m2K. Schüco develops aluminium and plastic profiles with excellent thermal insulation properties and the Schüco AWS 90.SI+ system used on the house is the best representative of this. In addition to its clean design, it also has a certificate confirming its suitability for passive houses, as it achieves a Uf value of 0.71 W/(m²K) at a construction depth of 90 mm," explains Ing. Miroslav Culka from the implementation company DAFE – PLAST Jihlava, s.r.o.
Smart home management contributes to a pleasant life, says the owner
"I've lived here for three years and I wouldn't change a thing. The house has everything I expected from it, which is not common. Usually, the first construction doesn't turn out to our full satisfaction, but here it did," says the owner. The house is heated by a borehole heat pump and underfloor heating. Heat recovery improves the indoor microclimate and makes the higher summer temperatures seem more acceptable even without air conditioning, which is replaced by underfloor cooling. Intelligent wiring has been installed to control the blinds, lighting, heating and security of the house, and perhaps even the music is distributed just right to create different atmospheres. A huge advantage is the covered terrace protected from the sun, which the owner uses in the summer months and for work. Simply a "user friendly" house.
