Studio Lenka Milerová architektka transforms an old pigsty in Panoší Újezd into a compact summer house shaped by memory, rough materials and direct construction. The project began with Mrs. F., who owned a large house in the village. The property had grown too large for her needs, so she kept the former pigsty and a small piece of garden, then chose to create a smaller seasonal retreat on the site.
RESIDENTIAL
The building stood in poor condition, yet the client felt a strong personal connection to it. She contacted Lenka Milerová because the architect came from the same district. At first, the request focused on one large window for the room. The brief soon expanded, and the project grew into a deeper intervention that worked with the old structure instead of erasing it. The client wanted to keep the place, its memory and its material character.
Milerová and Mrs. F. agreed on a raw, industrial direction built around concrete and steel. They avoided a complete reset and worked through the existing house piece by piece. The process required close attention to every part of the structure. As the work continued, the team added several new windows, expanded the scope and carved a bathroom into the opposite slope.
A single mason worked on the site throughout the construction. The client selected the masons with care, and they handled unusually demanding tasks with strong skill. They formed and cast atypical concrete elements made for the project, achieving precision despite the modest scale and difficult conditions.
The architectural approach centers on direct materials and basic building techniques. Concrete shapes the main details and gives the interior its strongest new element. The team cleaned the stone walls and used cement spray on the brick walls. New window openings changed the room most clearly, with monolithic concrete jambs framing the views and giving weight to each cut in the wall.
Inside, the concrete continues into a bench that runs around the perimeter of the main room. This single element serves several functions. It works as a step, wood storage, seating and bath. Its continuous form organizes the only room without adding unnecessary layers. Steel profile windows with no thermal bridge support the raw character of the intervention and keep the construction direct.
Although the project remained small, construction took a long time. During the process, Mrs. F. and Milerová developed a shared understanding of concrete and its role in the house. The client later completed the outdoor kitchen herself. The architect’s father also joined the project by welding the brackets used to mount the front door.
The summer house typology gave the project unusual freedom. The team focused on essential technical issues, including tempering the space during winter and ventilating the floor. Other interventions did not need to meet standard thermal performance demands, which gave the design more room to work with raw materials and exposed conditions.
Studio: Lenka Milerová architektka
Author: Lenka Milerová
Project location: Panoší Újezd, Czech Republic
Project year: 2021
Completion year: 2024
Gross floor area: 32 m²
Usable floor area: 22 m²
Plot size: 265 m²
Cost: 20 000 €
Photographer: Radek Šrettr Úlehla
Window supplier: Kaltmeyer
