Dubrovnik, 2012
In order to build a house the client has bought the last empty plot at the Ploče quarter in Dubrovnik. The steep site is of irregular shape, and it was divided with a road by the change in land zoning plans. The house is set on top of the plot with a wonderful view of the Old City and Lokrum Island, while the lower part is intended for a great and lush garden.
The project task was to design a house for parents and their adult children with their families. Therefore the plot contains two objects. One, a two storey object for parents, and the other, made up of two apartments for the children and their families. In this way, three residential units were formed. A shared outdoor space is inserted between the two houses – a terrace designed for socializing and family gatherings that connects instead of separating them. The pool is in front of the parents house, sunken under the terrace level so it does not block the view from the living room. The garage spaces are located right next to the road and hidden from view by the slope of the plot.
One of the main house features is the white facade constructed from local stone from the quarry Visočani, cut into 8x120cm “sections”. The façade whiteness is underlined by slits of large continuous glass which provide wonderful views of the city to all living areas and bedrooms, while the bathrooms and kitchen are located in the interior of the house. The only one that deviates from this rule is the parents’ luxurious bathroom on the first floor which also overlooks the city and Lokrum through a large glass wall. The smaller house is pulled out towards the garden area to allow greater privacy, and the children?s house façade is broken to ensure more privacy to the sleeping and living areas.
A simple combination of materials is complemented by natural wood pergola beams connecting the two houses. The natural wood is also used as a floor covering and for the garage door panels. Wooden furniture in all three units is custom made to maximize the space and underline minimalism in colors and materials.
Architects : 3LHD
Design Team :Saša Begović, Marko Dabrović, Tatjana Grozdanić Begović, Silvije Novak, Ivana Dabrović, Kristina Vidić, Romana Ilić, Ines Vlahović
Area : 468.0 sqm
Project Year : 2012
Photographs : Damir Fabijanic
Structural Engineering : Kap4 d.o.o. (Nikola Miletić)
Plumbing and Drainage : Avoka-ing d.o.o.
Electrical Engineering : IPZ elektroinženjering 22 d.o.o.
HVAC : Mario Josipović
Pool System : Makro 5 projekt (Dragan Zgaga)
General contractor : Bastion d.o.o.
3LHD is a collaborative architectural studio, particularly interested in the integration of architecture, art and (urban) landscape, an approach which has resulted in a series of projects and realizations in Croatia and abroad. 3LHD has an integrative approach to projects and believes that in addition to functional, architecture must respond to many other issues. Basic principles of the practice are woven into the modernity of the early 21st century.
Our design approach is each time with different realities, and with many different parameters that we give ourselves and which are given to us, it is integral, analytical and iterative. It is based on modification of opinions of different people, that we seek to bring into production, these are various specialists, experts in various areas and with them we try to achieve highest quality. This is where our approach is like that of a producer and we often bring ourselves in the role of a director or a DJ who performs the best editing. In such a way we investigate the most appropriate concept and try to create new value. We always make a kind of a prototype, which is sometimes, like in automobile industry, a redesign, and sometimes a research undertaking.
3LHD is an architecture studio founded by four partners – Saša Begović (born 1967 in Bjelovar), Marko Dabrović (born 1969 in Dubrovnik), Tanja Grozdanić Begović (born 1968 in Zagreb) and Silvije Novak (born 1971 in Rijeka). 3LHD was founded in 1994 when three of the four partners were still students on the Architecture faculty in Zagreb, in an atmosphere of Croatia’s political and economic transition. The studio was formed on the basis of team work and atmosphere. After years of successful business, 3LHD has appointed a new partner in 2016, Paula Kukuljica (born 1976 in Oakville, Kanada).
All of the partners are graduates from Architectural Faculty, University of Zagreb, Croatia.
3LHD partners have been visiting lecturers on institutions all over the world and currently they are teachers on Architectural Faculties, University of Zagreb and Split, Croatia.
Source :
Casalibrary 