When ORA undertook the project of revitalizing a structure in ruins, they were faced with a pressing question: could the house be saved? Taking in the scene of this dilapidated building—formerly a granary under the Czech communist regime—the architects had their work cut out for them. “It was a ruin to the bone. All that was left of the original house was a brick envelope with a roof,” the architects share. Yet, they recognized the building's potential.

Set on revamping the structure—not demolishing it—ORA repurposed a great deal of the existing material to form an insulated, ecological home, naming it House Inside a Ruin. Delivering modern restorations to the original raw structure, “there is a visual intertwining of the two worlds,” states ORA.

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Returning the building to its original layout, the architects reinstated the home’s two-floor plan and “reused the structurally sound wooden beams as elements of ceilings and truss replacements,” they share.

Set between the old and new structures is a ventilated gap, which prevents the two forms from actually touching. This architectural element is visible through the home’s numerous windows, which give guests a glimpse of the original ruins—still exuding a quiet grandeur.

Accenting the interior are glass mosaics, cement tiles, ash wood, and spruce boards. Outside, the garden is complete with verdant orchards, meadow lawns, and hawthorns.

Related Reading: This Mountain Hideaway in the Czech Republic Burrows Into a Meadow

Project Credits:

Architects of Record: Jan Hora, Jan Veisser, Barbora Hora, & Tomáš Pospíšil of ORA

Structural Engineer of Record: Statika 3 Structure s.r.o.

Landscape Designer of Record: Atelier Stelar

Building Owner of Record: Sýpka Arnoštov

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Romantic Ruins Enclose a Modern House in the Czech Republic