Terraced family houses

Project idea

The basic concept of the design is based on the positioning of the plot in relation to the cardinal points and especially on working with the sloping terrain. The terrain slopes down towards the west, where there is also surrounding development and greenery, so I took advantage of this to create a garden at a lower level than most of the building. This garden is accessed via a staircase from the 1st floor terrace and provides views of the surrounding area. For the final expression of the building I used three basic materials - concrete for the façade, timber for the cladding to emphasise the separation of the floors and glass for all the terrace railings and French windows. These windows are used to light almost all the rooms, especially on the west side, to maximize natural light and views. The row houses are set back one metre at a time from the street (east) view, and slightly angled to the southwest to achieve southern light. To the front of each house is a paved area for visitor parking and a green belt with planted shrubs to provide separation between the houses. The 2nd floor is set back one metre from the 1st floor to provide a leeward aspect to the house. The French windows of the living room are shaded towards the garden by a coffered awning to prevent unnecessary overheating of the room in summer. The 1st floor is set back inwards to create a covered terrace with direct access to the garden. The door from the 1st floor to this terrace is covered by a wooden partition in the western view to avoid disturbing the appearance of the façade. The interior space is divided in the 1st and 2nd floor by two load-bearing walls in opposite directions for structural stability, in the 1st floor only one due to the smaller space.

Project description

CHARACTER OF THE TERRITORY The area is located in the cadastral territory of the Brno-Líšeň district. In the surroundings, there are mostly low-rise buildings of 3-10 m height, mostly one- or two-storey buildings with pitched roofs, flat roofs are less represented. Some buildings have been extended. There is also an abundance of greenery (parks, valleys). There is a brook called Říčka and water reservoirs in the vicinity. URBAN DESIGN Our plot consists of two adjacent plots of irregularly shaped longitudinal character. The plot is slightly sloping towards the east and there is a building which will be demolished before construction. The area is covered with greenery and there are planted trees. It is adjacent to a local road (Kniesova Street) on its shorter side and another plot on the other side. Its longer sides are oriented to the west and east, while the western side provides a view of the built-up urban part of Lišná. On the eastern side of the site a new road will be established to provide access to the terraced houses. At the end of this road there will be 4 parking spaces and with it a turning space for vehicles. There is an existing development of terraced or detached houses in the vicinity. LAYOUT DESIGN The building has three floors and is connected by a double staircase to each floor. On the first floor there is a lounge area comprising a living room connected to the kitchen and dining room, from here there is access to a communal terrace. The end terraced house has this terrace the largest due to the corner plot. There is also a food store, separate toilet with wash basin, storage for seasonal items and a garage, with direct access to these two rooms from the vestibule. The second floor is quiet. There is a bathroom with a bath and shower, a separate toilet with a washbasin, as well as children's rooms and a parents' bedroom with a dressing room. From the bedroom and one children's room there is access to the terrace. The underground floor can be accessed from the 1st floor and from the garden in front of the terrace. Coming from the enclosed staircase area, we find ourselves in an open storage room with a workshop, from which there is access to the garden and also to other rooms such as the utility room and the hallway of the sauna with shower. The latter gives access to the sauna, which, thanks to the French windows, overlooks the garden.

Technical information

DESIGN AND MATERIAL SOLUTIONS The main vertical structural system is made of Porotherm. Heluz ceiling panels are used for the ceiling. The perimeter system consists of 300 mm blocks and 200 mm thermal insulation. The load-bearing walls in the house are made of 300 mm blocks and the wall between the stair arms is made of 200 mm blocks. The materials used are ceramic blocks, wood, glass and concrete trowel for the facade. The footings are plain concrete but the base slab is reinforced concrete. The walls between the terraced houses are made of 250 mm blocks and there is 100 mm insulation between them. BASIC DIMENSIONS Built-up area of houses A-G: 94 m² Useful floor area of house A: 223,88 m²; B-G: 214,94 m² Living area of houses A-G: 74.8 m² Built-up area of houses A-G: 814,59 m³ Approximate cost of construction of one house: CZK 8,150,000 (CZK 10,000/m³)