Green House
Situated on the outskirts of Dvorce, an old village residential area in Prague's Podolí district, this home overlooks the St. Philip and Jacob Church across the Vltava River. The client’s family has lived here for generations, and the Aoc architecture team was entrusted with transforming this 1960s house into a modern, comfortable villa that elevates the family’s quality of life and provides a refined living environment.
The design philosophy of the Green House is rooted in highlighting its seamless integration with the surrounding environment. This is achieved by incorporating elements of the garden and urban landscape into the interior as central features. The design merges visual aesthetics with practical functionality, creating a harmonious living experience. The team meticulously orchestrated the interplay of light from various sources—natural sunlight during the day, the soft hues of sunset filtering through translucent façades, and the twilight glow at night—to craft dynamic compositions of light and shadow within the interior spaces.
With a focus on achieving harmony between architecture and its environment, the Aoc team designed the house to blend effortlessly with the surrounding greenery. They employed a palette inspired by natural hues and textures to craft a building that coexists naturally with its setting. The façade, finished with a fine stucco technique, mirrors the lush vegetation, making the Green House an integral part of its environment.
The upper two levels serve as living spaces, accessible via a staircase from the ground-floor corridor. The interior exudes warmth and intimacy through its meticulous spatial layering. The staircase leads to the living room, kitchen, and dining areas, which open onto a spacious terrace garden. Ample natural light floods these spaces, ensuring they remain bathed in sunlight throughout the day. During summer, the living areas seamlessly extend outdoors, fostering a close connection with the garden's natural beauty.
Custom-made furniture integrates multiple functional elements, subtly concealing the entrances to private spaces while incorporating the family’s original furniture. This thoughtful approach embodies the concept of old and new coexisting in harmony. To reflect the client's taste, the team carefully curated lighting arrangements to highlight contemporary artworks by Mikulka and Pisařík, as well as the owner’s own photographic creations, infusing the spaces with an artistic atmosphere. On the ground floor, a small studio with an independent terrace quietly interacts with the courtyard, which has been left in its natural state. This continuity of greenery ensures a tranquil and organic connection between the house and its surroundings. The transformation of the Green House not only enriches the family’s living experience but also preserves and enhances the natural beauty of their home environment.
Principal Designer(s)：Josef Choc, Ján Vyšný, Barbora Lopraisová, Natálie Kristýnková, Emily Hillová, Jonáš Mikšovský
Character of Space：Residence
Gross floor area: 206 m²
Usable floor area: 172 m²
Plot size: 1206 m²
Materials：facades – scraped rendering, Shanxi Black granite, concrete blocks, glass, aluminium, zinc
ceilings, staircase extension – macrolon, spruce, concrete, steel, copper
floors, stairs and tiles – oak, teak, coconut mat
Location：Prague, Czech Republic
