Two social housing blocks on the coast
Izola, Slovenia
Ofis Arhitekti

Colorful balconies give these apartments their unique character

© Tomaz Gregoric

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Ofis Arhitekti won a competition sponsored by the Slovenian Housing Fund, a government-run program that provides affordable apartments for young families, to design two apartment buildings in the coastal town of Izola, Slovenia. Cost and floor plan flexibility were key to winning; in fact, entrants were obligated to prepare construction documents demonstrating their projects would cost less than $70 per-square-foot of net surface area to build. Ofis succeeded in meeting this test—and in designing a remarkable, playful pair of buildings.

Each building contains 30 apartments of different sizes ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. Rooms are small, even by Slovenian standards, but Ofis located the building’s structural members outside of the individual apartments, allowing for maximum flexibility and the possibility of re-organizing room dimensions. In addition, the apartments feel spacious thanks to an optical trick created by their signature trapezoidal-shaped balconies.

In designing the balconies, Ofis wanted to provide an intimate outdoor space, secluded yet able to take advantage of Slovenia’s Mediterranean climate and the site’s coastal views. The sides of each terrace are enclosed by perforated panels that provide ventilation and privacy, while boldly colored canvas panels are stretched over the top and bottom of the terrace. The canvas panels imbue each apartment with a different atmospheric character. They also create an optical illusion of heightened perspective, making the apartments feel larger than they really are from within.

Formal name of Project:
Two social housing blocks on the coast

Location:
Izola, Slovenia

Gross square footage:
49,400 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$3.7 million

Owner:
Block 1 owned by the Slovenian Housing Found
Block 2 owned by the community of Izola

Architect:
Ofis . Arhitekti
Kongresni TRG 3
1000 Ljubljana . SI
386-1-4260085 tel.
386-1-4260084 tel.
386-1-4260085 fax
www.ofis-a.si