The project description
Sliezsky Dom is a Tatra legend that has been offering shelter to hikers heading for Gerlach Peak since 1885. After several reconstructions, it was completely destroyed by fire in 1962. A new and larger Sliezsky Dom rose from the ashes in 1968. Designed by Brno architect Jaromír Sirotek, it embodied modern mountain architecture with a distinctive figure of wooden-clad triangular bays. These “gables” form an artistic parallel to the surrounding peaks and, at the same time, shape the broken mass of the building responding to its location by Velické pleso.
After more than four decades, the time came for renewal. An extensive reconstruction went down to the core — modernizing technologies, improving layouts, and raising the standard of accommodation and services. Yet the architectural expression has remained almost unchanged: the facades are still defined by concrete, wood, and metal — a trio with both pragmatic and poetic connotations in the mountain environment. Concrete reflects the resilience of the Tatras, the titanium-zinc roof darkens over time until it blends completely with the rocky panorama, and wood continues to inspire trust as a traditional alpine material.
Alongside a new level of accommodation and dining, the hotel has gained a wellness area with a relaxation room above the former boiler room, from where an unexpectedly stunning view opens over Velické pleso. On the opposite side, the Mountain Guides’ Club was redesigned to reveal new vistas into the Tatra basin. At 1,670 meters above sea level, the site brought numerous construction challenges, yet it is precisely the elemental climate of the Tatras that endows Sliezsky Dom with its truly exceptional high-mountain context.
The scope of work
an architectural study
a project for zoning decision
a project for building permit
an implementation project
an interior project
the author´s supervision
