Eco Centre Chotěvice

Chotěvice, Czech Republic

Architectural study - 2022

Materials - Rammed earth, local timber
Rammed-earth consultant - Lehm Ton Erde
Area - 330m2
Estimated Cost - approx. 18 mil. CZK

Design team - Martin Žižka, Štěpán Cibulka

Building by “gathering from the landscape”

The project is located roughly one kilometer outside the village Chotěvice, in the vicinity of the town Trutnov, in northern Czech Republic. The purpose of the design is to serve as a
multifunctional ecological center and hub for local activities in the areas of regenerative farming, permaculture, natural-building,amongst other uses.

The building is comprised of a public gathering hall facing north and
west with basic amenities, and an adjoining residential quarters facing south and east, set above the hall in a terraced arrangement.
The building is designed using a hybrid timber and load-bearing rammed-earth structure. The main objective of the design is to use as much local materials as possible, such as local soil from foundation excavation, local sheep wool for insulation, and wood from local forests.

The building thus aspires to become an intrinsic component of its locality, the materials utilized for its construction literally gathered
from the landscape.