Villa Sidonius / Stempel & Tesar

Architects: Stempel & Tesar
Area: 322 m2
Year: 2024
Photographs: Filip Šlapal
Lead Architects: Ján Stempel, Jan Jakub Tesař
Landscape Architect: Vladimír Sitta
Main Project Engineer: Aleš Herold
Structural Engineers: Jiří Chodora, Jan Vesecký (Valbek)
Town: Černošice
Country: Czech Republic

Villa Sidonius, designed by Stempel & Tesar, is a steel-framed residence elevated on concrete supports, resembling a bridge structure in a wooded area near Prague, Czech Republic. Positioned on a steep slope, it captures views of the Berounka Valley while maximizing sunlight. The prefabricated black steel frame, inspired by footbridge construction, allows for easy transport along narrow roads. Full-height windows and sliding doors enclose the open-plan living space, which is accessed via a tunnel and elevator. North-facing windows frame panoramic views, while south-facing sliding doors lead to a terrace and pool. The entry level houses a garage, fitness area, and courtyard, topped by a terrace with a glass balcony. Landscape architect Vladimír Sitta integrated the villa into its natural surroundings.

A steel-framed structure, positioned atop large concrete supports in a bridge-like formation, defines Villa Sidonius, a residence in the Czech Republic designed by Stempel & Tesar. Located on a steeply sloping, tree-surrounded site in a town near Prague, the villa offers a contemporary reinterpretation of the historically diverse villas that characterize the region. Described by Stempel & Tesar as a “structural, architectural, and technological experiment,” the elevated design aims to capture views of the Berounka Valley while maximizing sunlight exposure on the shaded terrain.

Studio co-founder Jan Tesar described the site as a picturesque residential neighborhood featuring spacious villas, some of which are over a century old. He explained that the new villa was designed to maintain a similar scale while being single-story, barrier-free, filled with natural light, and extensively glazed—an approach that initially appeared contradictory to the site’s topography. However, he noted that all design requirements were successfully met through the implementation of a bridge-like structure.

Perched on concrete supports, the prefabricated black steel structure is designed similarly to a footbridge, selected for its ease of transportation along narrow roads. The steel framework encloses full-height windows and sliding doors, which wrap around the entire structure and are highlighted by a minimalist, monochrome interior.

A tunnel at street level extends through the hill, leading to an elevator concealed within one of the concrete supports, ensuring direct and accessible entry into Villa Sidonius’s living area. The interior layout is structured as a single, open-plan space, with the living, dining, and kitchen areas centrally positioned within the rectilinear volume. The main bedroom is located to the northwest, while the two children’s rooms are situated to the southeast.

To the north, Villa Sidonius’s large windows frame expansive views of the landscape, while to the south, sliding doors lead to a sheltered garden terrace and swimming pool. Jan Tesar described the bridge-like structure as housing two distinct worlds—one end containing the children’s rooms, and the other featuring the primary bedroom with a bath and panoramic views. The entrance, positioned at the base of the hill, faces the road with an exposed concrete wall and a white volume housing a garage and fitness area. This space overlooks a small courtyard through full-height windows and is topped by a terrace with a glass balcony.

The external spaces of Villa Sidonius were designed in collaboration with landscape architect Vladimír Sitta. The rear garden was left as grass, while the sloping front section of the site was finished with slate chips and birch trees.