Amoeba

Built in the late 19th century, this former inn represents a building type of a larger guesthouse, which is frequently found in Štajerska region, Slovenia.

Like most buildings of this type, the ground floor was structured around a wide central corridor linking the kitchen, pantry, and dining areas. Stairways connected the upper floor—once the owners’ living quarters—to the attic, where the staff slept.

Since the inn’s closure, the building has functioned as a private residence without a public program. The main entrance was moved to the back (formerly a service entry), rendering the stone portal facing the road obsolete. The house has not been continuously inhabited.

The new design introduces an amoeba-shaped service core at the building’s centre. Its organic form adapts to the existing layout and functions (bathroom, pantry, utility, etc.), creating habitable "bays" around it. Over time, the core can easily shift with changing needs.

The "amoeba" divides the house into two zones: compact service areas at the core and spacious living areas—kitchen/dining, living, workspace—circling around it. It acts as a flexible divider, allowing the middle-aged couple to navigate and inhabit both parts freely.