NA KUKAČKÁCH MOUNTAIN CHALET || Reimagining Interior Freedom Within a Traditional Alpine Shell
Mountain architecture often rewards appearances and punishes interiors.
In the Krkonoše Mountains of the Czech Republic, architectural expression is tightly governed by regional regulations intended to preserve a traditional alpine character. Gable roofs, material palettes, and massing must conform to established typologies, often leaving little room for experimentation. While these rules succeed in maintaining a cohesive landscape, they frequently result in homes whose interiors feel dark, compressed, and disconnected from their surroundings.
A restrained alpine form anchors the chalet within the Krkonoše landscape, where stone and timber echo regional building traditions while concealing a radically rethought interior.
The Na Kukačkách Mountain Chalet, designed by edit! architects, challenges this familiar imbalance. Rather than resisting the regulatory framework, the project fully embraces it on the exterior while redirecting architectural ambition inward. The result is a home that looks traditionally rooted from the outside yet offers a surprisingly expansive, light-filled interior experience.
The chalet’s external form follows local requirements precisely. A stone plinth anchors the building to the sloped terrain, while timber cladding and a pitched roof echo the vernacular language of neighbouring mountain structures. From the public realm, the house reads as restrained and familiar. The transformation begins once inside.
The ground floor opens vertically rather than horizontally, allowing daylight to travel through the home and counteract the typically dark interiors of mountain chalets.
Recognizing that enlarging gable windows would disrupt the building’s proportions, the architects focused instead on vertical spatial strategies. The main living area opens upward through a double-height volume, connecting the ground floor to a gallery above and extending sightlines all the way to the roof structure. This vertical openness allows daylight to enter from multiple directions, counteracting the limited window openings permitted on the primary façades.
Large-format glazing was introduced on the side elevations, where regulations allowed greater flexibility. These carefully positioned openings frame views of the surrounding forest and bring the changing mountain light deep into the home. Rather than relying on a single dramatic gesture, the interior achieves brightness through a combination of spatial layering, section, and orientation.
A gallery overlooking the living area connects floors visually and spatially, drawing light from above while maintaining a compact footprint.
Private and service functions are compactly integrated, ensuring the primary living spaces remain uncluttered and generous.
Material choices reinforce this sense of continuity and calm. Prefabricated CLT panels form the primary structure and are left exposed throughout the interior, eliminating the need for additional finishes. The timber surfaces provide warmth, acoustic softness, and visual coherence while also speaking directly to the building's construction logic. Oak flooring, spruce-veneer furniture, and solid-wood joinery further strengthen the tactile relationship between structure and interior life.
Beyond aesthetics, the use of prefabricated CLT panels addressed the practical challenges of building in a mountainous environment. The steep site and short construction season demanded speed and precision. The panels were assembled on a reinforced concrete base within weeks, ensuring structural stability while minimizing weather-related delays. This approach allowed the architectural concept to be executed with a high level of control and accuracy.
The sauna continues the project’s timber language, offering a quiet retreat that aligns with both mountain culture and contemporary living.
The interior layout prioritizes clarity and function. Communal spaces are open and connected, while private areas remain compact and efficient. A sauna, integrated storage, and carefully detailed built-in furniture reflect a design philosophy that values lived comfort over visual excess.
Na Kukačkách Mountain Chalet demonstrates that respect for tradition does not require sacrificing spatial quality. By shifting the focus from exterior expression to interior experience, edit! architects have created a mountain home that feels generous, bright, and deeply attuned to its setting. It stands as a quiet but persuasive example of how contemporary living can coexist with protected landscapes, not by bending the rules, but by understanding them fully.
The expansive windows frame the surrounding scenery while outlining the interior as a still life image.
PROJECT DETAILS
Studio: edit!
Author: Ivan Boroš, Juraj Calaj, Vítězslav Danda
Social media
www.instagram.com/editarchitects
www.facebook.com/editarchitects1
www.linkedin.com/company/editarchitects
Studio address: Bořivojova 38, 130 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Co-author: Iveta Kopecká
Project location: Strážné
Project country: Czech Republic
Project year: 2021
Completion year: 2025
Built-up area: 95 m²
Usable floor area: 214 m²
Plot size: 583 m²
Photographer: BoysPlayNice
Collaborators and suppliers
Construction contractor: Registav, www.registav.cz
Primary timber structure supplier: 3AE, www.3ae.cz
Furniture: Devoto, www.devoto.cz
Furniture supplier: DesignVille, www.designville.cz
Konsepti, www.konsepti.com
Tiles supplier: Archtiles, www.archtiles.cz
Lighting supplier: Setec, www.setec.cz
Monobrand, www.monobrand.cz
Flooring supplier: Parket Atelier, www.parketatelier.cz
Sauna: Saunako, www.saunako.cz
Staircase: Wellder, www.wellder.cz
Sliding garage door and shutters: Inox, www.inox-tech.cz
Roman blinds and curtains: Optimal Interier Design, www.optimal-design.cz
Artwork: David Čáp, www.davidcap.cz
