We’re two friends who graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at CTU in Prague in 2017. That’s where we met and began testing the waters of working together on our first projects. Then came families and in 2020, a shared studio. We thought the name læb is beautiful as it holds many warm stories, meanings, and associations for us, but we’d rather tell you more in person.
We enjoy working on new builds, renovations, projects both big and small. We like to focus on the early exploratory phase, shaping the initial project specification together with investors, refining dreams from initial concept through zoning, acquiring construction permit, all the way to built completion, including kind negotiations with the authorities.
We believe that good architecture grows out of a friendly atmosphere and a humble approach to the site we’re working with.
Write us, call us, or stop by for a coffee. We’d love to hear about your planned project!
læb
Dominik Tomáš Petr | partner
Michael Švec | partner
Barbora Havelská | architect
Martin Sýkorský | architect
consultants and co-workers
Matěj Polánek | landscape architect
Michal Bajtalon | energy specialist
Petr Picmaus | authorized engineer
former co-workers
Mikuláš Valdman | Johana Reinosová | Patrik Domín | Michaela Mrázová
Jáchym Jakubčík
Dominik is one of the two founders of our studio and a true master of communication. Phone calls with officials? A breeze! Client meetings? Unbeatable! His heartfelt compliments will genuinely lift your mood, even if he’s only speaking to you over the phone. He loves history, architectural theory, and the scent of old archives. He’s an explorer who uncovers connections where others overlook them. He captures the world around him in quick sketches and diagrams. Dominik is a perpetual dreamer, an optimist, and he loves organizing architectural walks, sharing his cheerful stories from the life of an architect, or jamming his jazzy licks on a keyboard somewhere. You’ll often see him accompanied by his beautiful daughter Odeta, who is undoubtedly one of his greatest inspirations.
Michael, also a founder of our studio, is the embodiment of perfectionism. Thanks to his systematic approach and love for clever computer tricks, our drawings are always precise and beautiful. In the evenings, his wife often finds him immersed in studying construction details, new materials, or watching videos about the latest building technologies. But rest assured, he just as often spends late nights playing computer games. Michael enjoys good humor and often responds with a witty remark. Lunches with him are full of conversation, be it about historical and political context or forest trips with his sons Samuel and Jonatan. He loves capturing his unique view of the world through photography and hand sketches. At the studio, he’s our driver who never hits the road without jazz playing in the car. As an enthusiastic amateur bassist, you can also frequently hear him performing at various cultural events.
Bára started with us as an intern, and we were lucky that she decided to stay on after finishing her studies. She brought a calm, angelically polite energy into our lively studio. She would (almost) never cross on a red light on the way to lunch and approaches every task with utmost honesty and determination. Her patience is admirable, she never gets upset with anyone and always listens openly to feedback, whether it comes from us or from clients. Bára is involved in projects from the very beginning all the way to site supervision during construction. Thanks to her diligence and a strong family tradition in building industry, everything just seems to come naturally to her. Her attention to detail and deep empathy for others make her a fantastic collaborator we can always rely on. She’s often accompanied in the studio by her wonderful dog, Brex.
Martin also joined us during his studies at FA CTU. And despite the fact that he is fresh out of school, he is certainly not lacking any maturity in architectural thinking. He brought new technologies into the team and is a master of working with GIS systems. He can turn raw data into works of art. He enjoys writing scripts and setting up programs we didn’t even know existed. His enthusiasm for discovering new possibilities with computers is absolutely contagious. Thanks to Martin, we might be presenting our projects in all sorts of virtual spaces soon. The only thing Martin hasn’t mastered yet is finding the bike storage in our building (it is probably a secret room), so you’ll often be welcomed at the studio by his stylish road bike. Together with Michael and Dominik, he forms a musical trio and with contend taps along to jazz rhythms while drafting drawings.