Wooden Brick House | Jaro Krobot

March 3, 2016

The old brick house that previously stood on this site was too far gone to save, but architect Jaro Krobot designed a replacement with a similar form. The new house references the local Slovakian village architecture while having contemporary detailing.

The small house has 69.2 m² (745 ft²) of inside floor space on a single level. The narrow rectangular floor plan is a variation of the region’s traditional layout. A main circulation path runs along one side of the house, connecting the living room at the front, the kitchen and dining room in the middle, and the bedroom at the back. The wood-clad bump-outs provide space for closets inside and a shed outside.

Given how popular open plan living areas are these days, some people will find it strange that the living room is somewhat removed from the kitchen/dining space, being separated by the bathroom and entrance area in between. However if your preference is for a more connected or open living space, the middle portion of the floor plan could easily be flipped.

The bathroom facilities are also a bit unusual, being divided into a tiny powder room and generously-sized shower room.

The house was constructed using the STEKO building system. Developed in Switzerland, STEKO consists of hollow blocks made of spruce wood. The blocks are light enough that they can be stacked by hand, and do not require any special tools. The STEKO blocks measure up to 64 x 32 x 16 cm, but smaller ones are also available.

After they are stacked, the voids in the blocks are filled with a blown-in insulation. The design of the STEKO blocks minimizes thermal bridging, giving a higher insulation value than standard 2×6 framed walls. The inside surface of the blocks can be left exposed for the interior finish, as with this house, or it can be covered with another material.