Belgrade's daring House for a Craftsman draws squarely on modernist ideas
An experimental yet functional family home for a craftsman is a workbench for ideas, materials and techniques that draws on modernist ideas, designed by TEN architects in Belgrade
TEN Architects’ House for a Craftsman is that rare object, a piece of experimental architecture that is also a functional family home. Perched on a gently sloping site outside Belgrade, the house draws on modernist ideas and was designed for a local craftsman with a career in interior refurbishment.
The new house was to be simultaneously a statement of intent, as well as a functional workbench for ideas, materials and techniques. It also had to be a deeply practical building that could be adapted, repaired and upgraded as the years go by. The architects, Nemanja Zimonjić, together with Ognjen Krašna, Jana Kulić and Miodrag Grbić, worked with the client on the house for over three years, including a year on site.
Set within an existing orchard, the plan is breathtakingly simple. A set of 16 modules, each measuring 3.2m x 3.2m, is arranged to form a courtyard structure. The latter is precisely 16m square with a 9.6m x 9.6m interior cut out that preserves three existing trees. The house is raised up above the landscape and touches the ground at only three points. Two of these are large, boulder-like concrete elements. The biggest houses the bathroom. This leaves the upper level as a free-flowing, open-plan space housing living, kitchen and dining areas and a bedroom, with a freestanding WC alongside it.
Only one side is this square structure is enclosed – by floor-to-ceiling glass set within a slender steel box frame. Two other sides function as terraces, while the final part of the structure is left as an open grid. Shifts in material and moveable elements such as blinds, shutters and curtains allow the character of the space and the house itself to change continually. The inner façade of the living space can be hidden completely by ten large pivoting steel doors, or opened up to the internal courtyard.
This spirit of openness is emphasised by the handcrafted furniture, which references the structural audacity and simplicity of the house as a whole. The architects describe the process as being a challenge to the ‘norm of architecture being a complete conceptual product, delivered to the site via the client’. Instead, they call it a ‘genuine conversation’, as the client was involved at every step of the way. Together, they found practical solutions for aesthetic problems and generated news ideas via processes.
Local materials and craftspeople were used throughout, something the architects point out is an extension of early Yugoslavian modernism, which was extremely progressive and self-reliant. To an outsider, the House for a Craftsman evokes many things and modernist ideas. It recalls the meticulous sculptural concrete of Japanese Metabolism, the artistic rigour of Donald Judd, and the experimental verve of Pierre Chareau’s Maison de Verre. There is even a hint of the exhibitionist glamour of the Californian Case Study Houses.
Ultimately, it is much more than a collection of visual quotes, but an expression of how everyday materials and human ingenuity can imbue a simple structure with lasting significance.
INFORMATION
TEN architects
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
The 2024 Ivor Novello nominations for songwriting have been revealed
77 British and Irish songwriters and composers make up this year's nominees, announced tonight at London's Groucho Club
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Why Bollinger’s La Grande Année 2015 champagne is worth celebrating
Champagne Bollinger unveils La Grande Année 2015 and La Grande Année Rosé 2015, two outstanding cuvées from an exceptional year in wine-making
By Melina Keays Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
Modernist architecture: inspiration from across the globe
Modernist architecture has had a tremendous influence on today’s built environment, making these midcentury marvels some of the most closely studied 20th-century buildings; check back soon for new additions to our list
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Louis Kahn's modernist mastermind celebrated through new collaborations
The legacy of modernist architect Louis Kahn lives on to inspire a new generation, thanks to collaborations with family and fans
By Marina Cashdan Published
-
Royan Architecture Month showcases French modernism by the sea
Royan Architecture Month 2024 launches in the French city, where many travel to see midcentury builds by the sea, from Notre Dame church to Palais des Congrès
By Stacy Suaya Published
-
‘London Estates’ surveys the architecture and influence of the capital’s council-built homes
‘London Estates: Modernist Council Housing 1946-1981’, a new book by FUEL, is the perfect place to start for inspiration on how architecture can improve every sector of society
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Afrobeats and modernism: how the concrete ‘ruins’ of Lagos become a stage
We explore the relationship between Afrobeats and modernism in Lagos, as the Nigerian capital’s concrete structures become a stage for the music genre
By Olorunfemi Adewuyi Published
-
Is this the shape of wellness architecture to come?
Explore the future of wellness architecture through trends and case studies – from a Finnish sauna restaurant to UK cabins and a calming Canadian vet clinic
By Emma O'Kelly Published
-
Restored former US embassy in Oslo brings Eero Saarinen’s vision into the 21st century
The former US embassy in Oslo by Finnish American modernist Eero Saarinen has been restored to its 20th-century glory and transformed for contemporary mixed use
By Giovanna Dunmall Published
-
Discover Dyde House, a lesser known Arthur Erickson gem
Dyde House by modernist architect Arthur Erickson is celebrated in a new film, premiered in Canada
By Hadani Ditmars Published