Simple cohesive shape, an object under the forest. A flat stone standing upright in an open plain. The aim was to create a contemporary architectural form in a mountainous environment.
The realization is part of a broader project by the investor aimed at bringing life back to the abandoned countryside. They want to re-inhabit the slopes of the valley.
Hynčice, a remote valley on the borderline of Moravia, Bohemia and Klodzko – land abandoned by its inhabitants after the WWII. Today, people from cities come here to relax. Original loose cluster of buildings on the slopes changed into a densely populated holiday settlement at the bottom of the valley. The fields disappeared, replaced by coniferous forests. The building is part of larger project which wants to bring life to this abandoned region, “enliven” the hillsides.
The architectonic expression was inspired by its context. The pension is set in the upper part of the village, at the foot of a mountain ridge, under a forest, near two ski slopes. It stands on a meadow which is used through the year as a spot for various activities (a ski school, summer games by the stream, water reservoir with sauna, playground, and a pillbox from 1920s).
Our aim was to create a contemporary architectonic form suitable for mountain setting – a simple, compact shape resembling a natural object near forest. We imagined a flat stone positioned upright in the centre of a plain. It is a structure with an architecturally formed mass with walls smoothly transforming into roof without the change of material (dark grey waterproofing). Water or snow runs down the roof and slanting walls to the ditch in the ground which leads it away from the building. This creates another layer which is present on any other product of nature.
The building has three floors. Ground floor houses a restaurant with kitchen, bathrooms for guests and staff, and a ski rental. The other two floors contain guest rooms. The interior is colourful, in contrasts to the exterior.
It is a wooden structure, built floor by floor, with ceramic walls made of prefabricated components. Waterproofing was applied during construction.
Location: Hynčice pod Sušinou, Šumperk District
Authors: ječmen studio
Collaboration: Vítězslav Rejšek
Investor: private
Built-up area: 180 m²
Usable area: 367.5 m²
Enclosed volume: 1910 m³
Project: 2011-2012
Realization: 2012 - 2013
Costs: 39940 EUR
Photos: Boys Play Nice, ječmen studio