A Vernacular Beauty

It does not happen every day that a mock-up of a house becomes an acclaimed and awarded project on its own. That is the history of the Compact Karst House, named after the region on the border of Slovenia and Italy.

The Compact Karst House is a prototype of the initially planned home: the first project the client ordered with Dekleva Gregorič has had a vast programme, with all the rooms one would expect in a single-family residence. Because of other investments and the 2008 crisis, the construction of the large house has been delayed. The client followed the architects' idea to construct a mock-up for testing the materials as a temporary residence on the corner of the site.

On 300 square meters of land, thought initially to be an extension of the garden, a tiny house, with 60sqm on the ground floor and a half of it in the attic, with an innovative space programme has been built.

European historical farmhouses are usually very introverted, with small windows letting only a minimum of daylight to the interior to keep the interiors warm during the cold months and perhaps to create a cosy world within walls for farmers tired of working on their fields.

Dekleva Gregorič used this spatial feature also in other projects. They have collaborated with VELUX on several occasions including on the XXS House, where roof windows play a crucial role in the concept. In general – the roofs are essential in Dekleva Gregorič's architecture, as according to the architects, they are the essential element defining an object's identity. Anything concerning the top – choice of material, chimneys, and the position, size and the make of roof windows shall be designed with great care.