Hořec Centre Bohemia, Czech Republic mixed-use building project photos, Modern CZ retreat design

Hořec Centre in Malá Úpa, Czech Republic

3 October 2025

Architecture: ADR Studio

Location: Horní Malá Úpa 112, Czech Republic

Photos: BoysPlayNice

Hořec Centre, Czech Republic

Malá Úpa is a mountain village scattered along the ridges of the Krkonoše Mountains, near the highest Czech peak, Sněžka. Known for its distinctive charm, the area ranks among the country’s most popular mountain destinations year-round. The village comprises several parts, and one of its most significant — Pomezní Boudy in Horní Malá Úpa — is home to the new Hořec Centre. For several decades, numerous buildings in this area have been designed by the architectural studio ADR in collaboration with the local SKIMU ski resort team, united by a shared ambition to preserve the unique atmosphere and character of this mountain landscape.

The former Hořec Hotel, built in 1928 at the very heart of Horní Malá Úpa, has undergone a major transformation. Once serving as tourist accommodation, it now gains a new architectural expression and purpose as a multifunctional community centre connected to the life of the village. During the project’s preparation, discussions were held not only about the building’s future use but also about whether to preserve it or replace it entirely. The final decision struck a careful balance between the old and the new — a reconstruction of the original structure complemented by new concrete extensions.

Adapting the historic structure to modern standards presented a number of technical challenges. The renovation included a new roof, a complete replacement of the façade, windows, and doors, and a fully reworked interior layout. The original floor plan, divided into small enclosed rooms, did not meet today’s functional or spatial requirements. The architects, therefore, opened up all floors to create more fluid, generous interiors while retaining as much of the original timber structure as possible. The building now accommodates a range of public and visitor-oriented functions — a sports equipment rental, café, shop, cinema hall, exhibition spaces, and stylish apartments in the attic floor.

During the works, a remarkable discovery significantly influenced the project’s direction. The architects found that the second and third floors were built from traditional log structures, hidden beneath later cladding and façade layers. Such extensive timber construction is rare in the Krkonoše region, and the team decided to preserve and reveal it as a defining feature of the design. This decision also inspired the creation of exhibition spaces on these levels, highlighting the craftsmanship of the original structure. The upper floors, which house apartments, similarly expose the historic timber roof trusses, while the lower, masonry levels integrate original brickwork with new concrete additions. As a result, the authentic volume of the original building is largely preserved and meaningfully complemented by contemporary interventions.

The building’s location on a sloping site and the harsh mountain climate required careful detailing to protect entrances from sliding snow. This was ensured by a distinctive feature of the new design — concrete extensions that expand the building’s functionality while providing safe access even during heavy snow conditions.

Material choices also reflect the dialogue between tradition and modernity. The untreated larch façade refers to the local vernacular and sources predominantly from regional timber suppliers, emphasizing a connection to the surrounding landscape. Over time, the wood will naturally weather and darken, allowing the building to blend seamlessly into its alpine environment — just as the original Hořec once did.

A new public area in front of the building — a paved space with seating — further strengthens the connection between the Hořec Centre and the village, encouraging social interaction and local life. In a place shaped largely by tourism, the revitalised Hořec serves above all as a gathering point for residents — a renewed heart of the community that reinforces Malá Úpa’s mountain identity while offering it a lasting, contemporary form.

Hořec Centre in Malá Úpa, Bohemia, Czech Republic – Property Information

Studio: ADR – https://www.adr.cz/en/

Author: Aleš Lapka, Petr Kolář
Contact E-mail: adr(at)adr.cz

Social media: www.facebook.com/ADR-Architektura-Design-Realizace-769693126751476
www.instagram.com/adr_architects
Studio address: Libínská 3127/1, 150 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Co-author: Pavel Čermák
Design team: Lucia Honc, Tereza Valošková

Project location: Horní Malá Úpa 112, Czech Republic

Project year: 2019-2024
Completion year: 2025
Built-up area: 482 sqm
Gross floor area: 1674 sqm
Usable floor area: 1288 sqm
Plot size: 1357 sqm

Client: SKiMU
Client’s website: www.skimu.cz

Materials
wood – facade (untreated larch), windows
concrete – new extensions
sheet metal – roof
stone – existing plinth, partially supplemented
aluminum – windows

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About studio ADR:
ADR is an architectural studio established by Aleš Lapka and Petr Kolář in 1996. The founders started cooperating in 1992, during their studies at UMPRUM – the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague.

Today, the studio focuses on both construction and reconstruction projects. They also work on interior design projects, closely cooperating with visual artists. The ADR studio designs projects both in Czechia and abroad.

In their more than twenty-five years of experience, the architects have crafted their own style, which articulates the creative work of more than forty members of their team. In recent years, their work has also been awarded multiple prestigious awards.

In 2014, the studio won the main prize in the interior category in the Grand Prix of Architects – this was with their project working on a network of Megapixel showrooms. In 2014, the studio’s project Private Island of Velaa, in the Maldives, received a prize from the International Hotel Awards, and in 2015, it was awarded by the Luxury Travel Guide Awards.

In 2017, the Javornická distillery – another project by the studio, was awarded by the citizen’s association Klub za Starou Prahu (the Club for Old Prague), whose objective is the preservation of historical buildings. In 2018, the ADR was victorious in a competition for the best national Olympic house in PyeongChang. In the same year, their Trautenberk Brewery project was awarded by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic.

It was hailed as an excellent example of a building reconstruction that respected the character of the landscape. In the industrial design category, the studio won the Red Dot Award in 2003 and 2010. In 2019, the Czech Olympic Committee awarded the studio for their outstanding contribution to sport and the Olympic movement. Building of the Year 2022 was awarded to the architects for the new building of Hotel Stages.

In 2023, the studio received the Mayor’s Prize of the Prague 9 district Opera Pragensia for the realization of the Elektra Primary School and Kindergarten as well as the Mayor’s Prize of the Prague 15 district Opera Pragensia for the realization of the Golf Gallery. In 2024, the studio won the Grand Prize and the Public Prize in the Krkonoše Architecture Award project for the construction of the Bučina Mountain Cottage.

Aleš Lapka – architect
Born on September 17, 1970. He was a student of Professor Martin Rajniš from 1989; Aleš Lapka graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 1997. After the graduation, Lapka spent a year in the DA studio (1992). He then co-founded the company Architectural Associates (1993).
From 1996, together with his associate Petr Kolář, he has been the co-owner of the ADR architectural studio.

Petr Kolář – architect
Born on October 24, 1967. He was a student of Professor Martin Rajniš from 1989; Petr Kolář graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague in 1996. From 1990 to 1992, he was working in the Eva Jiricna Architects studio, Ltd. in London. Kolář co-founded Architectural Associates (1993) and from 1996, together with his associate Aleš Lapka, he has been the co-owner of the ADR architectural studio.

Photographer: BoysPlayNice, www.boysplaynice.com, info(at)boysplaynice.com

Hořec Centre, Bohemia, Czech Republic images / information received 031025

Horní Malá Úpa 112, Czech Republic, central eastern Europe