vzorový rodinný dům Svedlund House

Svedlund family house in Zlín is one of the most important functionalist houses built in the framework of the international competition of Bata company from 1935. It is located in the experimental colony U Loma on the southern edge of the city, in the street nad Ovčírna VI under the number described 626. As one of the few Swedish proposals in the competition that attracted projects from eight European countries, it has become a model of modern residential construction for employees of Zlin factories. The house is today protected as a cultural monument and represents a rare proof of functionalist architecture in Czech countries.

The Svedlund family house was built in connection with the international housing competition, which Batia announced in 1935. The aim was to find cheap, functional and well-disposed apartments for their employees who became a large group in the interwar period. In previous years, Bata had already built thousands of apartments in typical houses in Zlín, but the new competition was supposed to bring innovative solutions. The jury, in which the Swiss architect Le Corbusier also sat, selected between 289 designs two projects, which got into realization - the one-omeck of Swedish architect Erik Svedlund and the double house Adolf Benš and František Jech. Svedlund's proposal was awarded as the cheapest, with estimated costs of CZK 36,000, and became part of the model colony U Lom, which was intended to serve as a presentation of modern housing at the International Congress on Housing Culture in June 1935.

Architecturally, Svedlund is a single-storey house built from a red grey wall with a smooth cement plinth. The facades are typical of Zlín architecture by combining brick paired surfaces with concrete and metal details - such as moldings, wreaths above windows and translations. The windows on the ground floor had a reduced sill, which was unusual at the time. The interior layout is solved in two stages: on the ground floor there is a kitchen, living room with fireplace and dining area, and a staircase to the basement. The floor includes two bedrooms - one for parents and smaller for children - bathroom with toilet and a small balcony above the entrance roof. The basement served as a garage, grocery store and laundry. The house has central heating with radiators relative to the central distribution. The original furniture was made of bent metal pipes, which corresponded to a functionalist concept.

Construction modifications took place in 1939, as users considered the original solution insufficient in terms of residential comfort. A sunken terrace was added, which later served as a porch, and the window in the children's bedroom was replaced by a door leading to the understanding of the roof. These changes changed the original appearance of the house. In 1983, the house was declared a cultural monument as a "significant development document of modern architecture." Since 1990, it has been part of the urban monument zone Zlín. In 2004, a proposal was made to abolish monument protection for warmth, but the Ministry of Culture rejected it.

The fact that the Svedlund House is one of the few Swedish proposals in the competition that attracted projects from eight European countries is one of the attractions. The jury, in which Le Corbusier sat, decided not to award the first or second prize and only chose two third prizes. Out of five built houses, only two - Svedlund and Bench-Jech - entered serial construction. The House of Svedlund thus represents a rare example of international cooperation in architecture as well as an example of how functionalist principles were applied in Czech terms.

Today, the Svedlund House is open to the public and is located in a location that is now part of the town monument zone. Its importance lies not only in the architectural solution but also in the historical context - as part of Bata's housing policy, which sought to improve the living conditions of its employees. The house is an example of how modern architecture could also be applied in Czech cities and how it tried to meet the needs of the then company. It is a rare opportunity for visitors to become familiar with functionalist architecture in its original environment. It is a place worth visiting not only from a historical point of view, but also as an example of innovative housing from the interwar period.