LUBOMIR SLAPETA 1908-1983, CESTMIR SLAPETA 1908-1999

Lubomír Šlapeta, Villa for E. Liska, Ostrava, 1935–36.
Now a cultural heritage monument, the villa built for the notary Eduard Liska exemplifies Lubomír's individually designed work and at the same time reveals the influence of the architect Hans Scharoun. The two stories overlooking the street, with their small windows and ashlar base, present an impregnable facade, while the single-story extension to the garden at the back, by contrast, evinces a sense of openness.

Lubomír Šlapeta, Villa for E. Liska, Ostrava, 1935–36.
The interior features a conical vestibule, a sunken living area, and a view of the river.

Lubomír Šlapeta, Villa for A. Macourek, 1932–33.
Lubomír's Macourek Villa epitomizes the Šlapetas' design emphasis on comfort, luxury, and economy. Here, the living space extends into four parts: hall, music room, dining room, and central conservatory. This elongated layout not only allowed for flexible configurations of room size and function, but also served to integrate interior and exterior space.

Lubomír Šlapeta and Cestmír Šlapeta, with Arne Hosek, Design for Cultural Centre, Ostrava, 1938.
Submitted for jury review in 1938, the Šlapetas' design for a cultural center in Ostrava took first prize. The center would feature a hotel, a restaurant, and a house of education. The center was based on two contrasting forms, the vertical structure of the hotel and the horizontal structure of the educational center, linked together by a restaurant. Interconnecting theaters surrounded by exhibition galleries would fill the education wing. The jury was particularly impressed with the designers' attention to acoustics (Hosek was an acoustics specialist). Although recommended for construction, political unrest in 1938 and 1939 prevented the realization of the project.

Lubomír Šlapeta and Cestmír Šlapeta, with Arne Hosek, Alfa Cinema, Ostrava, 1933, 1938, 1954.
Lubomír's design for a cinema to replace the Ostrava Civic Center was executed in 1933. Five years later, after having participated in the Cultural Center competition, Cestmír and Hosek finalized the project. The Alfa Cinema marked the first realization of a major cultural commission on the part of the Slapetas. Addressing both artistic and acoustic concerns, the expressive design incorporated vibrant colors and dramatic lighting. In 1954, Cestmir returned to the project, but by this time the original design had been significantly altered.

Lubomír Šlapeta, Villa for M. Andraškova, 1940–42.
The preliminary sketches for the Andraškova Villa give a nautical impression, perhaps reflecting Lubomír's yearning for freedom from the constrictions of the protectorate in the early 1940s. The building signaled at once the end of the period of his most successful houses and a culmination of the designs and styles developed during the 1930s. Here again, Lubomír sought to integrate dynamic and organic architectural forms into the exterior garden and surrounding landscape.