The plot is situated on the Croatian island of Lošinj, in the town of Veli Lošinj. Access to the site is possible only by a steep and narrow local road, which leads to the top of the hill, where the stone ruins of an old barn are located. The plot is a short distance from the sea shore, but the view is spectacular and offers great vistas of the island, the sea and the town of Veli Lošinj. The existing stone building is quite small, only 5 by 5,60 m or 28 square meters. The whole building can be treated as one big room, which needs to be divided into several program zones without adding new walls, that would make the space seem even smaller.

 

The exterior view of the proposed house is showing a relation between the old and the newly built structure. Existing stone ruins are therefore left untouched, build with an old technique without any predefined pattern. On top of the old building (memory of the past), a new stone structure is added. It has an exact geometrical grid, that emphasizes the patchwork of old and new.

 

The small interior of the house is open and flexible. With two wooden floor panels we divided the space and gained three visually connected levels: living area that opens into the garden on the ground floor, service corridor on the mid-level and sleeping area with a large window, which offers great views of the sea, on the 1st floor level.

 

An important part of the project is a private garden in front of the house, which is hidden behind stone ruins. In the summer time the garden becomes an extension of the ground floor living space. The garden and the entire ground floor of the house are paved with terracotta bricks, laid in fishbone pattern. The secret Mediterranean garden surprises the visitor even before entering with smells of aromatic plants and citrus trees.

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Location: Veli Lošinj, Island Lošinj, Croatia

Project date: 2015
Completion date: -

Site area: 48 m2

Building area: 28 m2

Total floor area: 53 m2

Type: residential/holiday/leisure

Client: private

 

Project team: SVET VMES, d.o.o.: Jure Hrovat, Ana Kosi, Ana Kreč, Viktorija Žavbi, Marko Kavčič