house, courtyard

Around Something, Nothing in the Middle

Family houses in villages are often placed rather monotonously in the middle of their plots, surrounded by gardens enclosed by uniform rows of thuja. This approach is probably the result of small and expensive building plots, combined with regulations that limit the possibility of placing houses directly along property boundaries. Unfortunately, this often inhibits creativity and variety in urban planning.

In the past, however, village settlements looked different. They were not limited to detached family houses — they also included utility buildings, barns, garages, masonry fences and gates, creating enclosed complexes. The buildings themselves formed the imaginary boundary of the plot, with a courtyard at the centre.

The extension project builds upon the original village house with a barn. The central section of the old house will be removed, creating two separate parts — the barn and the front section of the house. The front section, which currently contains a living room and bedroom, will be extended with two garages, followed by a utility room and entrance hall. These spaces will connect to a new two-storey house positioned along the northern boundary of the plot.

The specific brief made it possible to create an enclosed courtyard surrounded by the new house, part of the original house, the barn, a gate and a masonry wall. In the centre of the courtyard, on the site of the former centre of the original house, a tree will be planted as an important element of the outdoor space.

The new section will be built from ceramic blocks with a timber beam ceiling, a timber roof structure and ceramic roof tiles. As the site lies within a flood zone, the finished floor level is designed 500 mm above the adjusted terrain.