BS_257 tells a different story of a contemporary vernacular architecture. It represents the idea of the traditional example of a wooden Bulgarian house as a combination of stone masonry and wooden carpentry with the client’s desire for timber-log architecture. The project is located in Banya village, place known for its high level of geothermal energy and our site has direct access to hot spring water.

 

BS_257 contains four small houses (95m2 each). In order to take advantage of the natural resources on site we divided the plot in two levels – a ground-floor garden patio and a garden terrace. The patio includes a 78 m2 swimming pool with different temperature zones. The hot spring water will then be further recycled via a heat pump, providing a sustainable heating for the houses. The four houses are designed as a single house that has been cut and separated into four different segments. Each of the units is then rotated in its own direction providing a sense of individuality for each house with its own view and garden, and at the same time maintaining the sense of one whole. The two front houses are elevated on a system of “piloti”, keeping the patio and the swimming pool underneath, whereas the second ones are placed on the second level of the garden.

 

The interior is penetrated in such a principle that there is a full day direct access to light to the common spaces. It includes a 9 meter atrium filled by an internal staircase with a skylight on top. All materials finishes used are natural and thus express our desire to achieve a sense of rural simplicity rethought through the means of urban complexity.