[SUMMER HOUSE MARKO&MARTA]

private investor, 2019, located on the island near Zadar

The plot itself is quite steep; more than 35%. Therefore, during the volume design, the aim was to maintain the relationships (volume, height) of traditional buildings, which are always simple almost archetypal volumes, carefully placed on the ground. Due to the terrain and program settings, the building is divided into three parts, which also represent three separate volumes.

The basis of the house is the basement floor, which is partly accessible from the local road, while it is mostly built in the ground (more than 60%). The base is designed in concrete materialization, which will be made with a rough final texture, which would most closely replicate the authentic Mediterranean dry stone walls in a modern way. Concrete, with its treatment, colour and time patina, is closest to the impression and atmosphere of a stone dry stone wall, unlike masonry walls to which stone tiles are glued, which is an artificial and false following of tradition.

The base is an imaginary “stone” base on which a simple two-storey house is placed. Due to the characteristics of the terrain, the basement roof is also the ground floor terrace of the house, partly built in the ground, and partly coming out of it, and accepts all the functions of a modern house such as covered and uncovered terrace and built-in pool.

The ground floor receives facilities such as the usual auxiliary functions, an open living area and one bedroom with its own bathroom. The facade is finally plastered. The volume of the first floor with the ground floor forms one volume in terms of the materiality, the finish and the height and shape characteristics. However, following the idea of simplifying and stacking volumes on top of each other, we want to get the impression of a separate volumes. This is achieved by shortening the volume in width in relation to the base (ground floor), but also by ejecting the volume towards the sea (2.5 m), which clearly makes it a separate volume.

In the ejected part, a covered ground floor terrace is obtained, which has become a necessity due to the way the outdoor space is used for a large part of the year.