In K66 by matěj šebek architekti, a complete renovation has given rise to a townhouse in Kamenice nad Lipou with a café, yoga studio, and residential space.
The house on Husovo Square is a traditional small-town terraced house with a passageway to its own farmyard. The diverse assignment required making maximum use of the layout possibilities of the original house. The total reconstruction is a collective project of the Zahradník family – the men are organizing the implementation within their own construction company, while the women are the heart and soul of the service – the café and yoga studio.
The historic building facing the square serves as a café. The exposed brickwork and beamed ceiling inside reveal the scars of past functions and alterations. The exposed interior structure houses a precisely designed stainless steel café counter and other necessary facilities such as toilets. Guests sit on a long ash bench and blue chairs. This creates a colorful surface collage composed of authentic and natural materials – whether original or contemporary. The café bistro extends through a passageway to the courtyard, where guests sit on a long concrete bench.
The extension in the courtyard, inserted into the footprint of the original farm stables, is completely new.
Its architecture does not hide its contemporary nature, but responds to the principles of the original houses.
Τhe ground floor is built of old bricks from a demolition site, the balcony is supported by wooden beams and complemented by a delicate steel staircase and railing. Behind the glass wall of the extension, there is a studio on the ground floor, used for yoga, lectures, or seminars.
A galvanized staircase leads from the courtyard to the gallery, which connects the original historic house with the contemporary extension. The attic of the historic house has been completely rebuilt. The roof facing the square retains its original shape – the height of the ridge and the slope.
However, a generous dormer has been added to the courtyard, allowing for the development of a 3+kk apartment layout inside. This creates an “apartment above the café” for one of the sons. Two other rental units are accessible from the gallery. The first is a therapy room with facilities, the second is a one-room apartment with a small terrace on the green roof.
Despite the very complicated reconstruction, the family’s efforts have resulted in a lively townhouse that helps to revitalize a small town in the Vysočina region.
matěj šebek architekti
matěj šebek architekti is a small design studio based in Prague. However, it also operates in Jindřichův Hradec in South Bohemia, where Matěj comes from. He graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague in the Novotný – Koňata – Zmek studio with a successful diploma project for a new theater in Jindřichův Hradec.
I “boldly” started my own practice right after graduation as the most natural form of architectural work. Our team is gradually growing, and its permanent members today are Matěj Bělohlávek and Jakub Ježek. We don’t just want to design, we also want to build. We renovate more often than we build new structures. We pride ourselves on our meticulous work, from concepts and technical designs to the actual construction details. Thanks to our approach and our courageous clients, we can embark on our work with joy and healthy excitement as we try out new paths and possibilities. We strive to keep the range of our work as diverse as possible in all possible areas. That is why we work on new buildings as well as renovations; on small individual tasks as well as large collective projects; and why we draw concepts as well as construction details.
For larger projects, we collaborate on a broader platform, jih.architekti, where we focus on more extensive tasks in the public space and intensive interdisciplinary collaboration, e.g., with landscape architects.
Facts & Credits
Project title K66 | Townhouse with a Café
Typology
Location Husovo namesti 66, Kamenice nad Lipou, Czech Republic
Architecture matěj šebek architekti
Author Matěj Šebek
Co – author Matěj Bělohlávek, interior design
Project Year 2021
Completion Year 2025
Built-up area 200 m²
Gross floor area 367 m²
Client Zahradnik Family
Collaborators and suppliers:
Café graphic design Hana Houšková, Vladimír Běhoun
Main contractor I. Kamenická stavební
Custom furniture Panab
Carpentry windows and doors HP27
Metalwork Radek Liška
Stainless steel elements Neza
Photography Radek Úlehla, Vladimír Běhoun
Text provided by the architects
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