Šestajovice House Project: Studying the Impact of Light and Site on Contemporary Spatial Organization
Contemporary Villa Design: Light and Site as Fundamental Drivers
The design demonstrates how natural light and site conditions can significantly shape the living experience. Soft southern light contributes to creating calm and comfortable interior atmospheres, while the careful selection of the site reflects a precise study of surrounding factors, enhancing the quality of spaces and their various functions within the villa.
Balancing Needs and Spatial Efficiency
The project reflects the challenge of providing generous space within the limits of a defined budget. The villa was designed to meet the needs of a young family while maintaining fluidity between different areas. Through a meticulous architectural analysis of the site, a solution was achieved that balances the villa’s contemporary character with the economic constraints associated with a traditional family home.
The Influence of Site on Architectural Design
The site represents a pivotal element in shaping the building’s identity. Located between the districts of Klánovice and Šestajovice in Prague, the plot is characterized by clear linear proportions and a calm atmosphere reminiscent of a rural setting, factors that significantly informed the overall design approach.
Transforming Constraints into Opportunities
Rather than perceiving the site’s proportions as limitations, they were approached as opportunities to generate balanced design solutions. This perspective enabled the creation of an architectural response defined by clarity and harmonious proportions, while strategically utilizing natural light to enhance the quality of interior spaces and the overall living experience.
Organizing Interior Spaces: Clarity and Defined Functions
The house design reflects a clear and efficient logic in spatial distribution. The single-story layout is aligned with the site’s main axis, where social areas are naturally separated from private zones, enhancing privacy and ensuring smooth circulation throughout the home.
The Relationship Between Interior and Exterior
Living spaces are oriented toward the street and the front garden through expansive windows, extending the sense of openness and establishing a strong visual connection between inside and outside, particularly during the warmer months. In contrast, bedrooms and more intimate areas are positioned at the rear of the house, where the calm and independent setting provides optimal conditions for rest and retreat.
Boundary Wall Design: Framing an Integrated Spatial Composition
The boundary walls along the northern and southern edges are treated not as solid barriers, but as integrated architectural elements. Their precise geometry frames both the house and the garden, defining outdoor spaces in a way that preserves openness and continuity with the surrounding landscape, while seamlessly combining aesthetic and functional roles.
Balancing Modernity and Economy
The design seeks to combine the qualities of a traditional villa, contemporary expression, abundant daylight, expansive windows, and generous proportions, while maintaining economic balance. The project is guided by a principle of equilibrium, reducing elements that support simplicity and clarity, while investing in areas that have the greatest impact on spatial quality and the residents’ living experience.
Light as a Fundamental Design Element
The gently folded southern façade stands out as one of the project’s defining features, allowing daylight to penetrate deep into the house throughout the day. Light plays a central role not only in shaping atmosphere, but also in highlighting architectural proportions and details, and in strengthening the connection between interior spaces and the surrounding garden.
Integrating Interior and Exterior
Large glazed openings dissolve the boundary between inside and outside, creating a sense of openness and giving the home a cohesive relationship with its surrounding environment. This approach enhances the interaction between residents and nature in a seamless and natural way.
Breaking the Horizontal Character: Introducing a Vertical Dimension
The design disrupts the home’s horizontal character through an integrated workspace positioned above the main volume. Conceived as a lightweight pavilion, this space provides an environment suited for focused work while introducing a vertical dimension that contributes to defining the building’s profile and organizing the spatial sequence in a balanced manner.
Interior Character: Simplicity and Natural Materials
The interior relies on a restrained material palette that includes wood, concrete, glass, and neutral finishes. This deliberate reduction allows natural light, proportions, and architectural details to become the primary elements shaping the interior atmosphere, reinforcing clarity and visual calm across living and working spaces.
Durability and Long-Term Architectural Quality
The project emphasizes durability and refined architectural quality over time, with a design that sustains functionality and spatial integrity without relying on striking technological innovation. This approach ensures the longevity of the living experience and reflects a thoughtful understanding of how users interact with spaces in the long term.
The Home’s Location and Its Influence on Design
Located on the eastern edge of Prague, the Šestajovice House stands as an example of calm and confident contemporary architecture. The site offers a high-quality residential environment, enhancing everyday living through its harmony with the surrounding landscape and local climate.
Proportions and Light as Enduring Elements
The design reflects a philosophy centered on long-term architectural sustainability by emphasizing balanced proportions, the strategic use of natural light, and a strong relationship between the building and its site.
Balance and Timelessness in Architecture
The project aspires to achieve lasting value, where equilibrium among the home’s various elements and harmony with the surrounding environment serve as defining qualities. These principles grant the design a timeless character, capable of adapting to the passage of time while preserving its architectural identity.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The Šestajovice House project can be considered an example of efforts to integrate natural light and site conditions into contemporary architectural design. The careful selection of the site and the response to its characteristics contribute to creating spaces that are clear, well-defined, and connected to the surrounding environment. Attention to proportions and outward-facing openings further reflects an understanding of the fundamental functions of a modern villa.
However, some reservations emerge when examining the project from a broader architectural perspective. The reliance on a limited material palette and clear, rigid lines may reduce the sensory engagement with the space, causing certain areas to feel static or single-purpose, particularly when compared to the flexibility required for a long-term family home. Additionally, the strong emphasis on economic balance may constrain architectural innovation in some details and limit the capacity to accommodate future changes in use or the addition of new elements.
From a practical standpoint, architects and students can benefit from studying this project as a case study in managing spatial and economic constraints, as well as in leveraging light and site conditions thoughtfully. It should be noted, however, that the outcomes may impose limitations on flexibility and diversity in both interior and exterior use.
