Kopaonik Mountain Home
lokcation: Kopaonik | size:120m2 | status: on site
Traditionally, mountain homes in this region are built on the same formula with characteristic roof geometry. This house takes the idea to the extreme; roof planes are dominant while external walls are omitted altogether. Front façade is the glass screen oriented toward hilly landscape. Existing planning code and client’s preferences are translated into the design rules for relational modeling resulting with several different configurations.
The house is located at the rim of the national park within the largest ski resource in the country. Planning code in this area is stringent and meant to preserve the dynamics of the nature and facilitate the development of the rural ambiance. Yet in reality, this concept has failed. The area is overcrowded with buildings producing a surreal catalogue of planning evasions, all due to the local authorities turning a blind eye to what is going on and also because the planning code itself is the nonsensical interpretation of what the traditional mountain habitat is. The straight-forward interpretation of this planning code leads to the production of pitched-roof houses with no contextual or environmental awareness. Just like any other planning code, this one stipulates the limitations on: the building height, relative occupancy of the lot, degree of inclination for the roof planes and the choice of several materials for the external finishing.
Just like any other architect, we have taken suggested constrains on board but have decided to look elsewhere for the incentive to start the project and we came across the traditional mountain homes scattered in the region, recognizable for their timber structure and characteristic roof geometry geared to provide usable attic space with no excessive volume. We thought that such model would be well-suited for our clients, keen skiers. The roof has become the dominant feature with its planes reaching the ground while the walls are omitted altogether. Its geometry shields the house from its neighbors while it frames the unobstructed view of the rolling hills on the southern side. Consequently, the entire building is oriented toward this side via large glass screen.
In the search for the perfect roof form, a design protocol was defined to accommodate changing values of its key parameters, taken as a combination of planning regulations and client’s preferences. The result is a series of models, regarded as a sequence of possible solutions varying in their shape but sharing the same characteristics. In the end, subtle differences did make the distinction and some models were more attractive than others. Naturally, a decision was based on the client’s preference. In parallel, and out of curiosity, we have opened a public poll on our blog with twelve models on display. Surprisingly, the public (possibly entirely made of architects) has endorsed a different model.
The building consists of two mirrored units, planed for two well-acquainted but independent owners and their families. Their insistence on two identical units causes the symmetry and the verticality of the internal organization with the central structural element acting as a divider. Both units are granted a complete privacy but large sliding door is left as a possibility of uniting their living rooms, for the purpose of a communal entertainment or large gatherings.
Structural concept places emphasis on the dividing wall to get lateral stability. Entire body is made of the visible timber structure, and laid on the concrete foundation. The building is sunk into the landscape, with the terrace platform resting on two massive girders cantilevering up to four meters.
credits///design: 4of7///Milutin Cerovic, Vladimir Pavlovic, Djordje Stojanovic /// structure: Tekic
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