client: Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Hague and Royal Dutch Embassy, Ljubljana, Slovenia

project: 2002
completion: 2003

Bevk Perović project team
Matija Bevk
Vasa J. Perović
Blaž Kandus

The house is located in a former village structure, bordering the city, which has in the past years suffered from the enormous spread of new sprawling development.

The lack of possible ‘references’ for the project in the immediate surrounding, as well as a duality of the programme (semi-public spaces for receptions and private apartment for the ambassador’s family) led to a conception of a free-standing ‘double’ house – one house being on top of the other.

The lower, semi-public house consists of three independent concrete volumes-rooms, containing the more private programmes – ambassador’s workspace, small reception room and service areas, that simultaneously act as a support structure – large ‘columns’ for the private house on the first floor. The spaces in-between the three large ‘columns’ are open areas, connectable by means of series of sliding panels, opening to the garden via full size glass panes.

The duality of the programme is reflected in the duality of the material organization – while the lower floor is clad in prefab polished concrete panels, the upper, private floor is clad in vertical strips of untreated cedar wood. Wood joints are covered in white-stained cedar wood strips. Thus the natural aging of the wood towards the silver-grey will always be in contrast with the whiteness of the treated wood. The final appearance, resembling a ‘diplomatic-grey-pinstripe-suit’ will be the final stage of the building process.