Private construction of family houses was generally disfavoured by the previous regime, especially when it came to non-typical, original projects. A few distinctive realisations were provided more space only the 1960s. In Hradec Králové, however, they were rare. One of the best examples is the two-apartment house of the Plášil family, built on the outskirts of the then still quiet Malšovice district (today the place is surrounded by a housing estate and degraded by the ring road). The investors commissioned the project to a young architect Jiří Kubišta, a native of Hořice, the village they came from.
The two-storey building with a square ground plan is situated on a large corner plot, far from both adjacent roads. The most striking and artistic element of the exterior is the fragile shell roof “collapsed” into an irregular V-shape, which is visible from side views. The architect lightened the largest roof overhang at the main street façade with three longitudinal openings on its left side. This concept reveals not only the inspiration of the so-called Brussels style, which revelled in subtle shapes and slants, but also the current trend of brutalism. While the concrete roof was plastered, the decorative exterior walls made of perforated blocks were exposed in its raw state. The varied materials used included stone on the plinth and larch wood used for the railings, windows and doors.
The house interior is worthy of attention, both in terms of Kubišta’s original furnishings and the layout and overall spatial design. The architect partially applied the Loos concept (the so-called Raumplan, which works with different height levels of space), mainly in the central hall with a fireplace divided into a dining area and a living area. The latter is connected to a terrace with access to the garden. A staircase supported by a massive steel structure separates the social and private sections.
The house is still occupied by the original owners, who take care of its interior and exterior so that it still has an intact appearance.
AW
Monument Preservation
No means of protection have been registered.
