Studio: ADR
Author: Aleš Lapka, lead architect
Petr Kolář, lead architect
Contact E-mail: petra.lomnicka@adr.cz, ales.lapka@adr.cz
Social media: @ADR-Architektura-Design-Realizace, @adr_architects
Studio address: Libínská 3127/1, 150 00 Prague 5, Czech Republic
Co-author: Jana Zoubková, architect
Anna Matoušková, architect
Walter Schubert, architect
Project location: Kostelec nad Ohří, 413 01 Budyně nad Ohří
Project country: Czech Republic
Project year: 2013 – 2018
Completion year: 2019
Built-up Area: 1825 m²
Gross Floor Area: 1115 m²
Usable Floor Area: 1003 m²
Plot size: 82565 m²
Client: Michaela Maršíková, Tomáš Maršík
Photographer: BoysPlayNice, info@boysplaynice.com
About Studio
ADR is an architectural studio established by Aleš Lapka and Petr Kolář in 1996. The founders started cooperating in 1992, during their studies at UMPRUM – the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. Today, the studio focuses on both construction and reconstruction projects. They also work on interior design projects, closely cooperating with visual artists. The ADR studio designs projects both in Czechia and abroad.
In their more than twenty-five years of experience, the architects have crafted their own style, which articulates the creative work of more than forty members of their team. In recent years, their work has also been awarded multiple prestigious awards.
In 2014, the studio won the main prize in the interior category in the Grand Prix of Architects – this was with their project working on a network of Megapixel showrooms. In 2014, the studio’s project Private Island of Velaa, in the Maldives, received a prize from the International Hotel Awards, and in 2015, it was awarded by the Luxury Travel Guide Awards.
In 2017, the Javornická distillery – another project by the studio, was awarded by the citizen’s association Klub za Starou Prahu (the Club for Old Prague), whose objective is the preservation of historical buildings. In 2018, the ADR were victorious in a competition for the best national Olympic house in PyeongChang. In the same year, their Trautenberk Brewery project was awarded by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic. It was hailed as an excellent example of a building reconstruction that respected the character of the landscape. In the industrial design category, the studio won the Red Dot Award in 2003 and 2010. In 2019, the Czech Olympic Committee awarded the studio for their outstanding contribution to sport and the Olympic movement.
Aleš Lapka – architect
Born on September 17, 1970. He was a student of Professor Martin Rajniš from 1989; Aleš Lapka graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 1997. After the graduation, Lapka spent a year in the DA studio (1992). He then co-founded the company Architectural Associates (1993).
From 1996, together with his associate Petr Kolář, he has been the co-owner of the ADR architectural studio.
Petr Kolář – architect
Born on October 24, 1967. He was a student of Professor Martin Rajniš from 1989; Petr Kolář graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 1996. From 1990 to 1992, he was working in the Eva Jiricna Architects studio, Ltd. in London. Kolář co-founded Architectural Associates (1993) and from 1996, together with his associate Aleš Lapka, he has been the co-owner of the ADR architectural studio.
The site formerly housed an old brick factory complex. Flying above the location in a helicopter, the owner became fascinated by the site and immediately bought it. Initially, a small architectural design competition was held between three competing architects. Having won the competition the project was moved forward, and our studio proposed a design whose principal idea lay in utilising the house’s openings to provide views of the individual peaks of the Czech Bohemian Uplands. The central corridor of the house offers views to both Mount Říp and the ruins of the gothic Hazmburk castle; the dining room and kitchen provide a panoramic view of the whole Czech Bohemian Uplands.
The investor requested a residential complex for the whole family, including a building for the property caretaker. Apart from the villa, the brief included a vineyard with a cellar for grape processing, a sports ground, stables, and a hangar for a helicopter. As for the original factory building, only the chimney was preserved. It was then dismantled, and the bricks were used for the wine cellar construction.
Set on the former industrial site, the trapezoidal plot lying on a promontory above the Malá Ohře River stretches between an access road for the towns Kostelec nad Ohří and Poplze in the south, fields to the west, a slope above the Ohře River to the north and a neighbouring property in the east.
The fundamental concept of the design was the inconspicuous character of the whole complex when observed from a distance, but also its dispositional and, above all, functional simplicity. These principles led to a solution featuring several horizontal masses. Individual buildings are nestled on the plot in a logical layout – the property caretaker’s house is located near the entrance to the complex; the villa sits on the edge of the slope with views of the Czech Bohemian Uplands while standing on the leeward side of the terrain. Apart from these buildings, there is also the vineyard on the south slope, the wine cellar, tennis courts, the outdoor horse-riding area, and the heliport.
As shown in the photo set, a monolithic single story volume forms the villa itself, featuring carefully chosen stone and wood surfaces. The design puts emphasis on a simple and clean interior, closely connecting indoor and outdoor space while respecting the context and the client’s wishes. The volume is defined by two prominent concrete slabs, forming the floor and the ceiling, and then functionally divided into five sections, each with a covered terrace. From the outside, the terraces rhythmically divide the silhouette of the house into smaller segments. All rooms with glazed walls offer views to the surrounding landscape. The design of the roof garden also received special attention in order to improve the bird’s eye view of the villa, for example when arriving by helicopter.
