Stone House | Proarh

Stone house is a one family holiday retreat, situated only few meters from the Adriatic sea, in a dense matrix of holiday houses.

This existing chaos, cramped, narrow plot, limited construction laws and program assignment, make this a complex postulation but also a metaphorical '' noise '' of context. In such ''noise'' the architectural language has to become quieter and create a concise expression. Is this expression then ''to fit in'' or ''not to fit in'', and is it possible to become positively ambivalent, where such ambivalence would mean avoiding the derogatory fitting in but also avoiding a forced standing out , due to author's ambition?

In order to materialize the wanted affirmative quietness in contrast to the existing noise, we detach strip of everything unnecessary and articulate the fundamentals of architectural principles – firmitas, utilitas, venustas.

To look for integrity, we go back to basics, which are given through the traditional disposition - compact layout, digged in tavern (kitchen/ living area), sleeping areas on upper floors, material (stone), climate and micro-location conditions (wind, salt, sun). We get the basic floor plan by offsetting the boundaries of the site, opening up to the sea and detaching from the neighbors - avoiding the arbitrary to the maximum.
Thus obtained indented polygonal floor plan, dictated the need for a minimalist volume and overall avoidance of unnecessary decorative form. House is completed as a compact, closed polyhedron, solid volume coated on all sides with the same material-stone, as the authentic material-excellent medium for dealing with climate factors.Used stone is of local origine, in 4 cm thick plates, installed on a concrete walls with concrete-based adhesive.

Strength/Firmitas and Functionality/Utilitas are primordial and Beauty /Venustas occurs spontaneously but in the same time, controlled and directed as a product of clarity of the first two principles.