APARTMENT BUILDING ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE

Area 500 m²  •  Principal architect Zuzana & Jan Kurz

They searched for their dream apartment for so long that they came across an entire three-storey apartment building with the most charming garden in the area, and decided to bring a new life into it together with us. When discovering the individual floors of the house, its distinctive history was gradually revealed to us. Here we came across an old tiled stove, there a housekeeper’s room appeared, elsewhere we found etched glass door panels, brass fittings or newspapers from the First Republic hidden under the floor. All these fragments served as a great inspiration for the sensitive reconstruction of the whole building. We preserve as much of the original that still brings some meaning to the lives of the new inhabitants as possible. 

We enrich these original layers with new ones and carefully add fresh elements or materials that complete the new story of the building without compromising the beauty that lies in ordinaryness. There are no elements designed to only play an aesthetic role. When the southern rays of the sun fill the individual apartments with playful light paintings on the walls it seems to inadvertently complement the muted natural palette of the interior, which consists of various shades of gray, brown or cream. The reconstructed apartment building will provide comfort to its new owners and also offer four residential units for rent with different layouts (3 + 1, 2 + 1, 1 + 1, 1kk). Over time, a studio for the creative work of its owners will be built in the generous attic.

Materials

 Moroccan stucco  •  Stone slabs  •  Ceramic tiles  •  Original painted ceilings  •  Cassette doors  •  Ceramic switches  •  Cast iron railings  •  Opal lamps  •  Brass  •  Terazzo

All work © KURZ architects

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