A Compact House in Slovenia’s Karst

Offering beautiful views of the surrounding forests, the house stands on the slope of Vrhovlje, a village on the Slovenian-Italian border in the Kras region, bounded on one side by a coastal plateau and on the other by the Dinaric Alps. The monolithic mass of the house was inspired by the dwellings typical of the area: small, almost windowless, stone buildings. The result is a sober house with a gabled roof and monolithic walls inlaid with pieces of stone, which give it a rough texture, echo the surrounding architectural style and integrate it into the traditional landscape.

The ground floor is conceived as shared public space for everyday activities, while two volumes inserted into the main volume of the house and connected to one another by a bridge, are intended for more private use. The ground floor serves as a living space with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. The upper floor establishes a more secluded area, where the sense of privacy is heightened by windows that frame only the sky. The two inserted volumes divide the main space, which consists of a fully equipped bathroom and eat-in kitchen on the ground floor and the master and children’s bedrooms on the upper level. The design allows each bedroom to be perceived as an individual house with its own gabled roof. A connecting bridge, mounted on steel beams, serves as a playroom; its walls and railings have been replaced with rope netting. The staircase, shortened by the use of alternating steps, divides the space and doubles as a bookcase on the ground floor. Built-in storage spaces are located on the ground floor, along with three windows offering views towards the porch, the surrounding forest and a hilltop church across the border in Italy.

The rigorous redefinition of local folk architecture extends to the roof, where its traditional gradient, materials, texture, and colours are newly interpreted through concrete. The details of the connection between the facade and the roof are worthy of attention, not only for their technical precision but because they create the illusion of a traditional building.

In today's era of standardised architectural rendering, it is refreshing to find projects that engage with unique local architecture. This design understands traditional building techniques and interprets them through the means available while working to the client’s specifications and budget.