Slovenia has continuously redefined design across rural life. With an architecture that’s intimately tied to the country’s geography, Slovenia emerged as a crossroads of European cultural and trade routes. This produced hybrid building styles and typologies defined by history and exchange. Expanding upon modernist roots and the work of architects like Max Fabiani, Ivan Vurnik, and Jože Plečnik, contemporary building projects are designed through ideas on multiplicity and coupled programming.
Expanding on residences in Slovenia, the following projects explore modern Slovenian architecture through housing. The country’s largely dispersed and uneven population is concentrated in a handful of urban centers. Centering on the capital city of Ljubljana, these designs showcase how urban and rural life is shaped in addition to cities like Maribor, Celje, and Kranj. Together, they embody trends that are deeply rooted in the country’s national and urban identity.
House MJ / kombinat
House MJ stands on the outskirts of a once undeveloped patch of meadow between residential houses and the forest edge. The house stands detached from the road, on the slope higher up, overlooking the town of Novo Mesto. Due to the views and the configuration of the plot, the house opens towards the northwest. With the slight split of levels, it adapts to the terrain and at the same time separates the living from the sleeping area.
Single-family house in Curile / 3biro
Bela Krajina or White Carniola is a small traditional region in the southeastern part of Slovenia. It is characterized by low hills, beautiful birch forests, vast vineyards, and beautiful countryside. The idea to combine traditional with contemporary was present when searching for solutions for overcoming larger spans. The largest span is bridged with timber construction, echoing the surrounding traditional constructional principles and marking the entrance area.
A House for the Best Years / Biro Gašperič
A house was designed to be a perfect host to an experienced couple and their list of expectations and personal preferences. With kids all grown up, the parents now have a house that is long and thin. The house humbly follows the natural slope but does not get higher at any point. It keeps its volume proportion fixed in height all the way up giving it a distinctive, unique look.
Simple House / Scapelab
The simple house is a project for a small single-family home in the picturesque area of Kropa, Slovenia. The basic shape of the house is archetypical – a clean volume with a pitched roof. The size and proportions of the house are related to the old farmhouses in the surroundings. This clean, abstracted traditional volume is wrapped in a contemporary envelope.
Chimney House / Dekleva Gregorič architects
The design of the house is primarily based on the rules of local architecture. It respects the morphology of the traditionally built context, referring to the prevailing gabled roof type of the house and respecting its volumetric and material parameters. On the other hand, the Chimney house marks a typological transformation generated by the users’ specificity.
House M / SoNo Arhitekti
One-family villa M is located in an area, which represents a typical Slovenian landscape. That is why the design derives from standard architectural elements, from which, one is dominant – the gable roof. The house is made out of three elongated volumes with symmetrical gable roofs, which are set in a way that creates a dynamic ground floor organization. It accommodates and serves the needs of the modern family and provides comfort and quality living.
House in Golo / ARK Arhitektura Krušec
In the case of House on Golo, which is situated in a picturesque location, overlooking the peaks of Julijske Alpe, Karavanke, and the Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe, one of the essential characteristics of the area is represented in the color and the texture of the soil on which the house is built. The structure of the house follows the tectonic layering of the terrain into which the construction pit was dug.
The Wooden House / studio PIKAPLUS
The Wooden House is a residential building embodying the elusive architectural quality of blurring the line between external and internal spaces. The Wooden House was designed with the intent to provide a resilient shelter from adverse weather, whilst creating an internal environment replicating the sensation of being outdoors. Soft wooden interiors are shielded by a durable outer shell.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on May 13, 2021.
