Stone from a regional quarry was employed for the cladding, paving and retaining walls of this cluster of buildings by DVA Arhitekta, constructed on a sprawling web site in Bosnia and Herzegovina .
Named Nation House, the constructing was designed by the Zagreb-based studio as a vacation complex for a former football player and his family.
It comprises seven buildings spread across a remote 35,000-square-metre site close to Bijača, a village in the country’s West Herzegovina canton, near the Croatian border.
“The owners originate from the region and needed to construct a getaway home there, primarily so their youngsters could expand up surrounded by nature,” the architects advised Dezeen.
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“When they asked us to come for the initial time the nature was remarkable, but there was practically nothing there to begin from, so we stated: let’s create the walls to mark our territory.”
A stone wall now surrounds the web site and a new road winds through it, dotted with buildings at different factors.
These cuboid buildings are designed to reinterpret the neighborhood architectural fashion in a contemporary way, but also to suit the capabilities of nearby builders – so they are built from concrete but clad in stone from a neighborhood quarry. A related technique was recently used for a villa in Mexico and a golf clubhouse in Mallorca.
All 7 blocks also feature concrete window frames covered in plaster – a detail common to buildings in the region – but they have been set off-kilter.
“The frames are a classic element of homes in the location, but we produced them asymmetrical to add playfulness to the cube-shaped stone buildings,” mentioned the architects.
The site’s entrance has a garage and steward’s home, the place the owner’s relatives reside permanently, while the middle of the internet site has a pool with a modest bar and a sports discipline with shifting rooms.
At the top of the hill, there is a main house with 3 bedrooms, a guest house with two bedrooms, and a summer time property with a garage and wine cellar. These blocks are organized at angles to produce a shared outdoor area among them.
“We wished to generate a modest village-type residence,” explained the architects.
“The interrelation between the homes creates outside spaces protected from the wind, and the hilltop spot gives a sense of control across the whole internet site, and excellent views of the surrounding mountains.”
Voids cut into the principal residence and guest house create sheltered entrances and balconies.
“The openings on the houses are moderate to suit the harsh climate,” explained the architects. “It is extremely sizzling in the summer, so thick walls and normal windows and doors make the houses much more comfy to dwell in.”
The main accommodation overlooks a stepped garden planted with olive trees and grape vines, which prospects down to the pool.
“The estate functions like an independent unit, with its own manufacturing of fruit and greens,” the architects explained. “Afterwards, the owners bought some cattle too.”
The buildings – with a mixed floor space of 950 square metres – were completed in excess of five many years, and the owners have ideas to add a lot more to the website.
“It is an ongoing venture, and the owners nonetheless have tips about what to build next,” mentioned the architects. “It gets very crowded, so we have created plans for a meditation chapel the place they can hide from everybody and enjoy the silence.”
Photography is by Robert Leš.
Venture credits:
Design and style crew: Tomislav Ćurković, Zoran Zidarić
Collaborators: Cvjetka Peronja, M.Arch, Mise Renic, M.Arch
Undertaking manager: Haris Mahić
Web site strategy 
Ground floor program 
First floor prepare 
Part 
Changing space prepare Dezeen
