Project: Podfuscak Residence
Architects: Dva Arhitekta
Location: Zagreb, Croatia
Area: 8,331 sf
Photographs by: Robert Les
Podfuscak Residence by Dva Arhitekta
Dva Arhitekta has completed the Podfuscak Residence in Zagreb, Croatia. This home is located near the city center surrounded by mostly small apartment buildings and a few single family houses. The contemporary exterior of this home opens up nearly 8,500 square feet of space for its crisp bright minimalist interior layout.
The house is designed for a young family who wanted to build a new home in greenery near the city center. Mostly small apartment buildings in combination with some single family houses take place of old garden houses which used to provide idyllic almost pastoral atmosphere of the area. The main requirement was to hide away from neighbors and open views and orientation to the south and greenery. By using waste brick as a façade cladding the house fits in the old and uncompleted built area of the surrounding.
Minus one level is in function of service while the first floor is sleeping area. Most of the family’s activities take place on the ground floor. Big openings are oriented to the green areas as well as pulled-in parts of the main house volume which guarantee intimacy. North façade is very closed to the street view, while other three sides of a house volume are pulled into themselves. First pulled-in space stands for entrance and communication between the basement and garage.
It is exactly the fluidity of the space that makes the strongest impression upon entering the house. The other pulled-in space defines atrium connected to the most vital part of the house – kitchen, dining and living. Atrium brings in nature as well as daylight into the house providing intimacy and hiding views from the neighbors. Third and the biggest one which at the same time connects and separates living and dining spaces is placed diagonally in the direction of the best view. Besides by big windows on façade, the house is heated using geothermal resources through the walls and floors which makes it low energy house.
