The plot is situated in a gap between family houses that form the banks of the Dyje River. Steep terrain of the plot has the original terrace landscaping with stonewalls. Above the opposite riverbank rises a rock wall; resting on the wall are the Znojmo Castle, the Rotunda of St. Catherine and the Church of St. Nicholas. The surrounding houses are quite diverse; they are mainly family houses or blocks of flats with one or two floors. The determining elements of the designed house are the shape, profile and orientation of the plot. Its minimal width, large slope and north orientation determine the basic shape parameters of the building. The house is therefore designed on a narrow, rectangle ground plan. It respects the street line on the north side as well as the distance from neighbouring buildings.
At the beginning, the idea was to create a space for exhibiting contemporary art in Znojmo and thus make it accessible to the general public. At the same time we designed a space that will serve as a base for the local association, space for community workshops, chamber theater or lectures. There is also a small café that ensures the economical sustainability of the project. These different functions blend together and influence each other, the borders are marked only by the shade of the material – dark part for the cafe, light for the gallery. While the café space is heavily filled with a shelf system for displaying quality Czech design, the gallery space is empty and versatile.
Reframing traditional notions on renovation by combining two distinct approaches to restoration, the House of Wine acts as a witness to the region’s multifaceted architectural history.
CHYBIK + KRISTOF Architects & Urban Designers have announced the completion of the House of Wine, a wine bar and tasting room located in Znojmo, in the heart of the Moravian region. Set in a converted 19th-century brewery and its adjacent technical space added to the structure in the 1970s, the project overlooks a 9thcentury chapel and neighboring Gothic church – reflecting the town’s many architectural layers and histories. Merging two spaces with distinct heritages and adopting individual approaches – and understandings – of renovation for each, the architects respond to the respective building’s structural past and function, all the while rethinking conventional notions on restoration.
We were approached by a pair of globetrotters on their second visit of Znojmo, the city where our studio is based.
After few days spent in Znojmo, they fell in love with the city so much they decided to buy there a small flat with a great atmosphere. The flat was considered rather second-rate; a ground floor apartment in the old town with its damp walls. However, it has a cosy inner courtyard and the place is pleasantly shadowy, which is a great advantage in the ever so heated up city centre.
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