vzorový rodinný dům Benš Jech House

The Benš Jech family house, located in Zlín on U Lom street with descriptive numbers 631 and 5685, is an important historical monument. This functional object was built as part of a model colony of family houses U Lom on the southern edge of the city behind Gahur's prosperity. Its architectural style and history, dating back to 1935, when it was built on the basis of the international housing competition of Bata, are significant. Architects Adolf Benš and František Jech, famous representatives of Czech functionalism, designed this house, which won one of the two highest awards in the competition. In 1983 the building was officially recognised and entered on the list of real cultural monuments.

History of the sample colony At Loma it is closely linked to the development of Bata's production group, which grew rapidly after 1918 and required housing for its employees. During the interwar period, the company focused on the construction of standardized four houses which covered the territory of the working quarter Letná and other sites such as Zálešná and Podvesná. In addition to rental houses, Liberal and boarding schools were built, allowing Bata to provide facilities for 70% of his workers.

The international competition for a new type of family house announced in 1935 was part of a wider search for new forms of housing construction that took place throughout Europe. The aim of the competition was to design cheap and well-equipped apartments with furniture, respecting Zlín design methods. The competition attracted 289 proposals from all Europe, of which Adolf Benš and František Jech, together with Erika Svedlund, received the highest award. Despite the pressure on the rapid implementation of construction for the presentation at the international congress focused on housing culture, the two houses Benš Jech and other model houses were collapsed only in September 1935.

The architecture of the two houses of the type Benš Jech is the leader of functionalism. The construction was made from an unusual material - a non-braided stippled thermotheton into a sliding formwork, which created a wall of 20 centimetres thick and a specific surface structure. The house is a mesonet type with a flat roof and symmetrically arranged matter, which was an experimental approach at the time. The layout of the house includes two underground two-story apartments with a 42 square meters residential area, which are oriented towards each other mirror. On the ground floor there was one large room serving as a living room with dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom connected with the function of laundry. There were two bedrooms upstairs with built-in closets and a toilet.

House Benš Jech became part of the cultural heritage when he was entered on the list of real cultural monuments in 1983. Although the photo documentation of the interior was not preserved after construction, the building remains an important part of the history of Czech architecture and housing planning. Today, vzorový rodinný dům Benš Jech is not only a monument to the past, but also a reminder of the innovative spirit and ambition of Bata in housing.

This object is worth visiting not only for its historical significance, but also as an example of architectural experimentation and functional design. Visitors can appreciate both aesthetics and engineering solutions that make this house a unique example of functionalism in the Czech Republic.