An exceptional example of contemporary residential housing within the wider Havlíčkův Brod region is a single-generation villa built on a corner plot of the Žižkov III residential area. The sloping site, adjacent to a forest park and located at the end of the housing zone, determined the distinctive form of the building.

The client commissioned Daniela Polubědovová to design a house with a heart-shaped (or less poetically, kidney-shaped) floor plan—in harmony with nature and free of right angles. The architect, who had formerly collaborated with Studio D3A (Fiala, Prouza, Zima), took advantage of the descending terrain by embedding the technical facilities and garage below ground level, while situating the monolithic reinforced concrete living area at the plot’s highest point.

The building takes the form of an irregular ovoid—reminiscent of a heart or kidney—which opens out towards the garden. At its centre lies the main living space, illuminated by a skylight. The adjoining living areas flow seamlessly into one another, their spaciousness enhanced by the use of full-height doors reaching up to the ceiling.

The interior—designed by the architect herself in collaboration with the homeowner, who also produced several bespoke features in his own workshop—makes extensive use of natural materials such as stone, reclaimed timber, and wooden planks. Elements drawn directly from nature are reinterpreted here: twigs, leaves and wooden blocks collected by the family were cast in aluminium in the owner’s model-making studio to create handles, fittings, and railings. The design also includes custom-made furniture, conceived as an integral part of the overall architectural composition.

The exterior of the house, facing the street, is defined by corten steel cladding made of weather-resistant steel, whose warm rust tones harmonize with the reinforcing rods that form part of the boundary fence. An integral element of the property is its productive garden, screened from neighbouring houses by a bamboo fence and gently merging into the surrounding mixed woodland. The flat roof, covered with an extensive layer of greenery, complements the building’s sustainable concept—the house operates using modern, environmentally friendly technologies in line with its overarching philosophy of harmony with nature.

The project deservedly won both the New Build category and the overall Interior of the Year 2017 award. In 2019, it received further international recognition at the BIG SEE Architecture Awards in Slovenia.