"In order to avoid ugly radiators in the large room a heating and ventilation system was devised, which could also be used for cooling in summer. Despite the fact that there had been no experience with such systems in private houses, this air-heating device worked wonderfully well: half an hour after turning it on the whole room was warm."
Grete Tugendhat, 1969
Ventilation system
Ventilation system room (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Ventilitation engine room
The ventilation system sometimes not quite correctly called conditioning bringsfiltered and thermally treated air to the main living room. The whole system functions as ventilation and fine cooling systems, but mainly as a hot air heating.
Ventilation system (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Radial ventilator
Water circulation is ensured by a radial ventilator with an electric drive. The ventilator is installed on a concrete plinth with a cork interlayer preventing from the transfer of vibrations to the base structures.
Ventilation system (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Control panel
Measurement and control are ensured by a simple panel with a mobile controlhandle used to set manually the required volume, quality and circulation of the air that is fed in.
Sea stones (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Shower chamber
Partial air cooling and moisturising takes place in a special shower chamber with stone boulders at the bottom onto which water falls from jets fitted in longitudinal water pipes.
Ventilation system (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
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The louvers of the ventilation system in the wall next to the piano in the main living area (photo on the left), and along the conservatory (photo on the right).
Boiler room (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Boiler room
During the first reconstruction of the villa in the 1980’s, the coke boiler room with two Strebel boilers was converted to an exchanger station connected to an external heat line. The only preserved element is the ash lift leading to the manhole cover in front of the house
Boiler room (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Machine room for the retractable windows
Villa Tugendhat has a unique system, which is enabling the window retraction down to the floor level in the main living room thus achieving an impressive blending of the interior and exterior. The system, apart from the engines, is still original and still working.
Window retraction in main living area.
Along the windows we can also see the chrome central heating registers, which are designed to prevent moisture from precipitating on the glass.
Heating system (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Detail of the heating register
Column without cover (1929/1930) Villa Tugendhat
Supporting skeleton
The use of a load-bearing skeleton with infill masonry is a completely unique solution for a private building. Each column of the load-bearing skeleton consists of four L-shaped steel profiles, which are riveted and covered with cladding in most rooms.
On the left: Supporting column have a brass cover patinated in copper-coloured bronze, On the right: Supporting column with high-gloss chrome cladding.
Kitchen
The kitchen is situated at the border between the residential and personnel sections. At the entrance from the personnel section there used to be a stove. The kitchen walls are lined up to the ceiling with white earthenware tiles and there are white ceramic tiles on the floor.
Laundry room
The laundry room of the villa is equiped with original tiles and the same model of wahing machine and spin-dryer as there was in the 30s.