Rogač House
Architect: Studio Archaos
Location: Vis, Croatia
Type: House
Year: 2022
Images: Bosnic+Dorotic
The following description is courtesy of the architects. Rogač House is situated in the town of Vis, on the island of the same name. Erected on a steep plot, overlooking the Vis harbor and historical center, the house is surrounded by numerous hundred-year-old carob-trees – hence the name (Carob – Rogač). Its layout is organized towards the view of an idyllic bay and the sea. The archetypal monolithic structure, made of coarsely chiseled stone, rises out of the steep slope and lush vegetation, while the shape of the house echoes the shape of the nearby Tower of Perasti.
The arrangement of the openings on the facade is a product of thoughtful gradation of different vistas and degrees of privacy of the interior spaces as well as the terraces, loggia, and balcony on the outside. This creates an uninterrupted powerful dialogue between the house and its environment, while stressing the counterpoints of the introverted and the extroverted ambiences. The playful shaping of the smaller deep window openings evokes the feeling of a cavelike shelter while the larger openings, continuous with the terraces and balconies, act as frames for spectacular panoramic views. The result is a meditative calm and atmosphere of the space.
The authentic Vis stone, used for the construction of the house, is a guaranty of security and stability. The stone is in synergy with the honed concrete blocks and surfaces which make up the console terraces, the balcony, the bridge to the entrance of the house, the paths, the loggia and the roof. The surfaces have been conceived to protrude out of the stone structure of the house as if they were cut off bridges, thus creating a dialogue between the different materials and shapes as well as connecting the house with its surroundings. The chosen materiality of the house preserves the memory of the local tradition, bringing together a symbiosis of the archaic (stone) and the contemporary (concrete). The house as a fragment honors the formal and the constructive relationships with the historical center of the town.
On its southern side, the building plot is flanked by a paved road. Due to the exceptionally steep slope on which the plot is situated, combined with the building regulations which require a house to be a certain distance from the road, a concrete bridge has been constructed as the sole driveway to the house. This southern facade, facing the road, is completely blank, reduced in its structure to only two openings: the main entrance to the house, accentuated by the bridge, and another, side entrance, accentuated by the long exterior staircase carved into the steep terrain.
The top floor of the house is almost entirely taken up by the master bedroom with the adjoining bathroom. The bedroom opens out onto a roof terrace which, protected from all sides by elevated walls, offers a unique view of Vis and the Dalmatian islands. The bicycle storage room also finds itself on the top floor, next to the entrance. A console staircase leads down to two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom and private access to the balcony and the loggia. Another staircase leads further down to the common room. The enclosed space under the staircase hides an inbuilt bathroom and storage while the open kitchen, living and dining room give access to the spacious console terrace, the focal point of summer activities. The terrace, embedded in abundant vegetation, makes use of the shadow and the shade which the house provides, but it also soaks up the milder sun rays coming from the east and west. On the bottom floor of the house is a space where the tenants and their guests can gather and relax. It includes a wine storage and it opens onto a shaded summer kitchen placed under the console of the upper-floor terrace. Designed in this way, the space becomes an intimate garden terrace, adjoined by a monolithic concrete pool, surrounded with the lush carob-trees which also serve as a screen hiding the terrace from the outside.
The furniture and the woodwork are all made of oak while the walls have been treated with rough plaster. The final treatment of the material enhances the sculptural design of the building, while respecting the authentic atmosphere of the location.
Project Details
- Project title: Rogač House
- Location: Vis, island of Vis, Croatia
- Authors: Studio Archaos
- Project team: Srđan Ostojić, Toni Kerum, Krešimir Ćavar
- Plot area: 495 m2
- Total square footage: 225m2
- Completion year: 2021
- Building start: 2019
- Project design year: 2018/2019
- Photography: Bosnic+Dorotic
