A new senior citizens’ home in Nový Bydžov, Czechia, is envisioned as four independent households. The home, which can accommodate around 60 residents, is barrier-free and conveniently located adjacent to the hospital, near a cemetery with a church.
Growing old in Czechia
The design is dominated by an orchard and a brick wall, alongside tall trees. While some may consider the location between the hospital and the church problematic, its setting in Novy Bydzov’s old town, near the beautiful town hall, adds serenity and calmness. The retirement home is large and symmetrical, embodying a chateau-like atmosphere with gardens, atriums, abundant daylight, and wonderful views. Rather than associating old age with burden and suffering, the architects present an alternative that highlights contemplation, wisdom, and even liberation.
Gracing the landscape of Central Bohemia
The road next to the home brings much-appreciated liveliness as not just cars but also mothers and children, pedestrians, and dog walkers pass by. The plot size allowed for a long single-storey building, making it easy to adapt to the special needs of the elderly. The surrounding landscape is also flat, featuring fields and forest, and a long road that intersects them. The landscape typical of Central Bohemia features silhouettes of villages, one-story houses, and a five-leaf clover formed by four households, symbolising the four elements and a connecting element. Above the landscape, the beautiful, distinctive church in the cemetery features a lovely brick wall with a tower that points upwards.
Connected, self-sufficient households
These four households can accommodate around fifteen people each, along with the required staff. A design centred on a common atrium creates a compact composition, with the common corridors bypassing the atrium. Every household is self-sufficient, with storage, staff facilities, a common area, access to the internal garden, and an exit to a larger common garden. Each room has a small terrace that allows plenty of light, and all four households are connected to a central core. The main atrium is visible from the central entrance on the south side. Upon entering, visitors find themselves in a generous hall, overlooking a main oval-shaped atrium which hosts a reception. A waiting area around the reception is connected to the central atrium.
Flowers in the flooring and four façade patterns
The brick façade aligns with the cemetery walls, creating a subtle dialogue with its surroundings. French windows provide residents with direct access to the terrace, strengthening the connection between interior and exterior spaces. Different window shading solutions give each household a unique architectural identity. The façade appears in four different patterns, a concept that continues inside the building, where the brick material is preserved and painted in a light white tone. Custom-made photos of local flowers are incorporated into the flooring, bringing elements of the surrounding landscape into the interior.
The Studio Architektura has created an outstanding senior home that encourages visual exchange between residents and the environment.
Technical sheet:
Author: Studio Architektura, David Kraus
Co-author: Alina Fornaleva [study phase, interior cooperation]
Completion year: 2025
Client: Town of Nový Bydžov
Photographer: Filip Šlapal
Project engineer: Projecticon
Wayfinding: Architektura [Zdeněk Dohnálek], RAKOWSKI & CO.
