An ordinary potato
I started the studio during my studies in Liberec in 2014. From the beginning I knew I wanted my own atelier, so at first, I joined forces with a friend from school for a few projects. And this went on through the years. I always try to seek help and partnerships with different friends of different professions according to the task awaiting. And why ertepl? It is an old Czech word for potato – earth apple, yellow gem hidden under the living soil, ordinary at the first glance, but rich and tasty underneath… 

Striving for a diverse methodology
Daily routine is closely connected to the schedule of our family, and the working hours show signs of chaos but freedom as well. I try to keep the work as diverse as possible – from computer, sketching, model making, discussion with clients and/or partners to manual work – spatial experiments and field trip analyses. The richer and more complex the work is, the better result will arise. However, the main part of the design process lies in model making, which helps to understand the space and materiality better. Besides, models can transfer emotions, feelings and atmospheres as well.

A lively studio space
Our studio is a former shop, directly connected to our flat, where I live together with my family. So the two worlds – private and working are leaking and blending together. My children are coming to make their own experiments in the studio quite often and clients drink their tea in our kitchen. The studio itself is a square table surrounded by architecture models, sketches, books and nature particles, turning the studio into a “cabinet of curiosities”. And there is a big shop window interacting with the street, becoming a small gallery (PRAKTIK) for related architects and artists from time to time during the year.

Removing boundaries
With more finished projects I see the importance of  close contact and physical experiments. There is some kind of positive energy stored in the project through your own hands, and own mistakes. Surprisingly I found myself more curious in coincidence, improvisation and some kind of ordinariness.  These “qualities” can be discovered only through time spent during construction. This makes it fun, and it is definitely the way I want to follow. To dig as deep as possible, to remove the boundaries between architect, client and builder, and to unite material, building and the landscape.