Former department store transformed into mixed-use apartment complex

Czech architecture firm Ov-a has transformed a drab former department store into a modern apartment complex with inviting green spaces on the roofs.

The 90-unit complex recently opened in the alpine town of Pec Pod Sněžkou and consists of four cedar clad towers that are a far cry from how the barrier-shaped previous development blocked the mountain views.

GALLERY  

Named Apart-hotel Svatý Vavřinec, the units can also be rented out like hotels and utilise reception and cleaning services.

One of the drawcards of the complex is the accessible green roof that has been termed ‘the meadow’ and serves as a semi-private open space with room for an outdoor grill with seating, a children’s playground and private terraces.

“The core character of the area is shaped by the individually standing buildings along the main street that are in close contact with the surrounding nature,” the architects explained.

“The atmosphere is captured by a road rising through the valley alongside streams and by the openings between houses that allow a view of the further planes of the village and the cabins scattered on the meadows.

The design of four apartment buildings continues the thread of these qualities and develops and further elaborates on them.”

Each unit enjoys large windows looking out into the snow and maintains the alpine chalet interior style common to the area.

The cedar panelling of the exterior carries through to the interior.

On the lower ground the project features a commercial platform offering amenities for the community including a supermarket, a ski and bicycle service shop and a pharmacy, a sporting goods store.

These can be accessed through the buildings’ interiors of all of the apartments, as can the two underground garages on different levels.

Images courtesy of Ov-a.

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