Village house

The client's wish was to design a house with a garage and a workshop on the purchased plot, which would be low, with few stairs and visible wooden construction, and would range between 120-150m2.

At first glance, the plot, which lies on a hilly terrain, seems problematic but it represents an exceptional potential and quality of the location. The slope of the location offers beautiful views of Lake Velenje, allows a distance from neighbors on the upper side, and touches an orchard on the lower side of the plot.

In order to keep the house small, we divided it into four program units: the living area, sleeping area, workshop, and garage. We did not change the terrain with the design of the building, but we sustainably adapted the building to the slope. The parts of the house shift among themselves, thus enabling the establishment of micro-environments in the intermediate spaces - a herb garden and a space for an ornamental tree.

As we walk to the entrance among the parts of the house, despite the modernly designed facade, we get the feeling that we are walking through a small village. When we enter, through a small square opening, a view of the lake is framed for us. From the anteroom, we continue towards the living area, where our view expands towards the valley through large panoramic windows, and then we notice the wooden ceiling construction and the open roof volume. The sleeping area of the building is separated from the living area by a utility closet and five stairs. In this way, the house remains low and the terrain excavation is as small as possible. The bed and bathtub in the parent's bedroom with a bathroom are positioned so that they offer an unobstructed view of the lake. On the other hand, the children's rooms hide a gallery in the roof cap, from where they can peek into the living room through internal windows.

In order for the house to be as affordable as possible, we took care of it in various ways. It is possible to build in several phases. The excavated terrain is used for backfilling and remains on the plot, so we get rid of the costs of its removal. By designing the roof and facade into a unified shape of the cloak that embraces the volume of the house, there is no need for major roofing works - rain and snow freely flow along the surface of the building into the drain.

Finally, the sustainability of the house is reflected in the simple use of materials, honest construction, and Scandinavian-colored interior. The building is not just a house, it is a small hamlet of buildings that are very similar to each other. The square openings on the facade remind of traditional Slovenian houses - a village in miniature.