HOUSE IN RAKITNA

LOCATION
Rakitna, Slovenija

CLIENT
private

PROJECT YEAR
project 2007
construction 2008 - 2009

ARCHITECTURE OFFICE
Ravnikar - Potokar arhitekturni biro d.o.o.

ARCHITECTURE
Robert Potokar, Petra Slukan

PHOTOS
Peter Krapež

The design of the detached house in Rakitna is derived from its edge-of-settlement location, the geometry of the plot, its orientation towards the cardinal directions, and the surrounding landscape views. The house is further defined by its setting within the rural village environment of Rakitna.

The programme is distributed across two levels: the main living area occupies the ground floor, together with the service spaces and garage along the northern side, while the upper attic level accommodates the bedrooms.

The house is positioned at the north-eastern corner of the plot, on the site of a former outbuilding—a wooden hayrack—following its removal. This allows for the required 4.00 m setbacks from the neighbouring plots along the northern and western boundaries, while the setbacks along the southern and eastern sides are greater.

The residential volume is covered by a 40-degree pitched roof, as required by the local planning regulations. The house is “classical” in its overall form, yet contemporary in its architectural expression. The roof is conceived as a clean triangular prism placed above a lower timber volume. Openings are carved into the timber volume, while the attic is differentiated from the ground floor through the use of contrasting materials: timber and roof tiles.

The timber façade establishes a conceptual connection with the former wooden hayrack, which was clad in vertical timber boards.

The entrance is further emphasised by an offset in the volume, creating a canopy above the entrance. A similar element is introduced on the western façade, where a window is positioned to frame views of the surrounding landscape. A stone portal salvaged from the existing residential house is also incorporated into the entrance.