These two Croatian houses represent the concise architectural approaches of the two partners of Zagreb firm Njirić+ arhitekti. Founding partner Hrvoje Njirić set up the studio in 2001 and was subsequently joined by Iskra Filipović. Both have recently completed their own residences, with each one set on a very different site and therefore representing the firm’s varied typological and theoretical approach.
Aerial view of the Double-Villa Bukovac
Double-Villa Bukovac: a Croatian house that redraws suburban rules
Hrvoje Njirić’s Double-Villa Bukovac was shortlisted for this year’s EU Mies Awards. Described by the architects as a ‘dialogue with Zagreb’s Urban Master Plan,’ it is in fact more of a critique.
Deliberately shaped to diverge from the many rules and regulations set out in the city’s General Urban Development Plan of the City of Zagreb, Njirić calls the house a ‘vision of reimagining the green foothills of Zagreb for a lower-density residential typology.' In summary, the architects state that they favour 'smaller volumes, lower structures, a gentler footprint and larger plots with a minimum area of 1200 sqm.’
Aerial view of the Double-Villa Bukovac
In a way, this is an argument for preserving the city’s suburban character, using idiosyncratic and decidedly non-suburban forms, to provide something of a ‘case study that proposes a new form of urban decency for the city.’ The house actually contains two attached dwellings, deliberately undercutting the allowable maximum built space (600 sqm for a 1,200 sqm lot) in favour of a total of 180 sqm.
Street façade of the Double-Villa
Garden façade of the Double-Villa
The Double-Villa Bukovac also goes out, rather than up, with a linear plan designed for multigenerational living arrangement consisting of a single structure spanning two adjacent lots. The public-facing street façade on the northwest is close to the road, maximizing the amount of available open space behind the houses.
In public, the houses present an austere façade of perforated brick, whilst the private rear to the southeast is glazed, open and shared, with views towards the city.
Double-Villa Bukovac embodies myriad architectural influences, old and new, from Palladio (who inspired the two components’ ‘disciplined symmetry’) to the Eames House and Studio. Even Thomas Jefferson’s work at the University of Virginia gets a nod for influencing ‘the relationship to the terrain and the classical rhythm of the façades,’ while a slightly more contemporary source was the American Case Study House programme.
All of these and more can be detected in the twin mirrored structured, with materiality that becomes lighter further up the structure, a love of unconventional materials (those bricks, the use of cable tray mesh on the façade, billowing ribbons of curtains) and a subterranean garage that also serves as a private art gallery and ‘party venue’. The orientation of the glazed façade minimizes winter energy demands, while passive shading comes into play in the summer.
Iskra Filipović and Hrvoje Njirić
Zagreb House Extension: A vertically extended city house
The new addition sits atop an existing building
In contrast, Iskra Filipović’s residence at 140 Petrova Street reuses an original structure and adds a layer of new accommodation. A rejoinder to Zagreb’s current wave of redevelopments, Petrova 140 ‘was conceived as a way of creating additional living space while retaining and working with as much of the existing structure as possible.’
The new floor features dramatic interiors
The prominent site sits on traditionally residential street that has been substantially redeveloped in recent years. By adding a new, distinct volume with twin sawtooth roofs, the architects have opted to preserve the area’s original character, along with its mature trees, as a way of supplementing and not erasing an established identity.
The addition incorporates a small roof terrace
For that reason, contrast and contradiction are brought into play. The metal-clad addition is clearly distinct from the building below, yet in scale and use it remains consistently domestic – ‘different architectural languages sharing the same address,’ according to the studio.
The new addition is made of lightweight prefabricated steel structure to avoid adding any additional stress on the original building. It was also cheaper and quicker to build, qualities that the architects have decided to emphasise and not conceal.
Inside, there’s a welcome uplift to the character of the room thanks to the high-pitched ceilings, while new openings were aligned to predefined views and light paths to ensure daylight reached into the heart of the apartment.
Just as the Double-Villa Bukovac challenges the accepted way of building new houses in the suburban context, Petrova 140 is a riposte to unthinking redevelopment. Construction cost and cultural memory are both given equal play, adding another layer to the changing life of the city.
Interior at Petrova 140
Interior at Double-Villa Bukovac