The house designed by FORVM arhitektura is intended to integrate harmoniously into this valuable space, organizing the program with three interconnected volumes that descend the slope.
The ground floor, entirely glazed, aims to foster a daily dialogue between the residents and the outdoors, where the trees shelter the interior with their canopies. The upper floor relates to the surroundings somewhat differently; the western volume rises with its free ends. The last of the three cubes is unique in its shape; resting on the ground, it rises diagonally.
Curious House by FORVM arhitektura. Photograph by Bosnic+Dorotic.
Project description by FORVM arhitektura
A slope with diverse vegetation, whose species are rare for urban Zagreb, was found on a relatively secluded site, slightly set back from the main road, which set the direction for planning a family house. Although the existing terrain morphology and the varied design brief partly conditioned the construction method, the house was intended to be appropriately placed in this valuable space, in a way that would allow its future residents to enjoy all the advantages of living in a family house. At the same time, the surrounding green area allows interaction with their daily life in its own ever-changing and poetic way.
The fully glazed ground floor aims to enable the resident to maintain a daily dialogue with the exterior: green cascades, orchards, spruces, pines, and cedars. In return, the trees protect the resident with their canopies, shielding them from the sun and from views. The upper floor of the house relates to the surroundings somewhat differently; the western volume confidently floats with its free ends, and the views that enter through the defined openings remain expressive, although they now follow the forecast more; they look out into the distance and listen… Within it, the resident will rest, work, or read in a room overlooking the forest.
The last of the three cubes is distinctive in its form; supported on the ground, it rises diagonally and towers above the others. One-third of a storey higher than the main ground-floor level, its ground level serves as a garage for cars, while the upper floor can function as an independent dwelling, separate from the rest of the house. From the large southern opening, through the branches of the pines, the view stretches across the entire city. In the opposite direction, silhouettes beyond the roof windows once again confirm to the resident that they are surrounded by a forest.
From the outside, the house implicitly reveals the resident. The eye of the observer tries to perceive the existence of a living being within the outer envelope, which is surprisingly much harder than the glass surface area might suggest. Instead, the reflectivity of the smooth surfaces further draws in and evokes the surrounding green world.
