Villa Beli Križ

Portorož, Slovenia

Photo © Marco Covi

Residential

Architects: Sadar+Vuga

Location: Portorož, Slovenia
Year: 2009

Villa Beli križ stands on the incline of the hill slope above Portorož. The matrix volume of the villa consists of four two-storey apartments of equal size with an associated outer garden space, terrace on the shadow side and terrace with a pool on the sunny side. Within the villa, apartments are arranged in such a fashion that the large glazed surfaces opening the apartments to the outside offer a colourful variety of views of the sea and of the horizon.

At the same time, this arrangement provides for the desired privacy and intimacy between the villa's residents. In this way, from his apartment on the upper floor, a resident will always have a view of and access to his part of the garden on the lower floor. Consequentially, this exhibits in the ambient diversity of the apartments' interiors. Opening of each internal space towards the sea and alternating twin hooded roofs lead towards the "winged" form of the building's sides. Pairs of apartments are mirrored across the central axis.

In conjunction with the villa's setting on the garden-covered podium of the garage, this serves to emphasise the presence of the villa in the context. Alternating perceptual cinematic opening and closing of the villa's volume at our passing-by makes advantageous use of the positioning of the villa on the street bend. The white grid of the structure cladding creates a distinguishable element in the near surroundings, as well as a dialogue with the white grid balconies of the Porotorož hotels downhill by the sea..