Compact Karst House

In this landscape the tradition of small, compact, stony and almost windowless houses developed and remained until today.

Following this tradition determined the design of the small, compact stony house corresponding to the needs of the young family and current technological principles. Redefinition of a traditional stony Karst house led to the concept of proto-house as compact, stony, pitched roof volume for contemporary countryside living in this region. The house is conceived as monolithic volume with two inserted wooden volumes connected with interim landing.

The ground floor operates mostly as public or semi-public space with multiple grand landscape views. On the other hand, the upper floor stands very privately with sky views only. The space is divided by two inserted wooden volumes that contain the kitchen with dining and bathroom on the ground floor and the master bedroom and children’s room on the upper floor. A "house in a house" concept allow each bedroom to perform as a primarily wooden pitched house, where one literally feels like sleeping in one's own (symbolic) house and not a room. The bridge connecting both houses acts as playroom.

The house has three large square windows that open views towards a hilltop church in Italy to the west, a forest to the south, and the entrance platform to the east. The redefinition of a traditional stony Karst roof, with its texture, color, material and its steep inclination is executed as contemporary concrete interpretation with intense technological ingenuity. A materially inseparable connection between the facade and the roof is key allusion to the image of traditional Karst village. 

The design of the house addresses the relationship between the contemporary and the traditional. It opens up the question about the characteristics of anonymous traditional built architecture from which it originates and simultaneously establishes the relationship between contemporary interpretation and traditionally conditional domain of synthesis.

Project Facts

Architect: Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti
Project Team: Aljoša Dekleva u.d.i.a., M.Arch. (AA Dist),Tina Gregorič u.d.i.a., M.Arch. (AA Dist), Lea Kovič, u.d.i.a., Vid Zabel štud. arh.
Client: Borut Pertot
Site Area: 336 m2
Built-up Area: 82,5 m2
Net Area: 65 + 28 m2