Under-Extension Villa

View of the villa

Project Details

• Project Name: The "Under-Extension" Villa
• Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Project Type: private residence
• Principal Designer/s: Rok Oman, Spela Videcnik
• Design Team: Mladen Bubalo, Rok Gerbec, Ivana Sehic, Ursa Jazbinsek
• Date of commencement of project: 2001
• Date of completion of project: 2004
• Site Area: 20.500 m²
• Built-up Area: 700 m² (existing building); 500 m² (extension)

Night time view of the villa with its surrounding landscape

The Building

The project involves an extension to a 19th-century villa located in a beautiful Alpine resort next to Lake Bled. Both - the existing villa and the landscape, were strictly regulated by the National Heritage organization. The design brief required for the main living area to be twice its current size and for the majority of the spaces to face the lake.

Panormaic view of the villa interiors

The design addresses the main challenge of incorporating the new 700-m² addition whilst respecting the restrictions the villa and the surrounding landscape were subjected to, by placing the newer spaces introduced beneath the ground floor of the existing villa.

The interior spaces are organized so as to maximize views onto the neighboring lake

The extension forms a rounded base around the house - 'a pillow covered by the landscape' as the architects describe it. Looking from the other side of the lake, the 'pillow' blurs with the surrounding landscape. The elevation under the pillow is glazed and overlooks the lake.

A helical staircase connects the various levels within the villa, unified also by a similar material and color palette

The floor is organised in levels according to the surrounding landscape (± 50 cm). These were used as locators and dividers of the open ground level. The top of the pillow converts into a terrace and garden on the upper floor, where the children's area is located.

Views of the helical staircase

The wooden finish of the interiors attribute a pleasant warmth to it. Within the villa, the helical staircase emerges not just as a critical circulation core, but as an innovative element of design. Stretchin across the levels of the building, its light and fluid form further accentuates the space within.

Credits

• Text: Courtesy, the architect
• Photographs by Tomaz Gregoric courtesy of Ofis Architects
• Compiled and edited by Varun M. Ajani