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1999 PROJECT

Specific to the Croatian situation is a great deal of self-built housing. Most people live in single-family houses that were either built by themselves or for which they supervised construction. The availability of space and lack of a building finance system will no doubt result in the continuation of this situation for a long to time to come. The Z-house project developed a model for affordable housing that would be adaptable to the self-building process. The house is situated on a common lot size (800m2). In Croatia, affordable housing is based on elementary technology, not on prefabricated technology, due to economies of scale and the lack of qualified labour. However, the case-study house employs prefabricated building elements that can easily be handled by local construction teams. The house uses prefabricated concrete beams in addition to the traditional brick- and in-situ concrete construction. Nonetheless, the use of unsophisticated technology and cheap building materials does not translate to simplicity in the spatial organisation of the house. The house in Kostrena takes full advantage of the climate, view and vegetation of its seaside location. The house has a 3D Z-shape that slowly grows from north to south , with the roof surface slightly inclining towards the west. The living room and bedrooms are oriented towards the south. The kitchen and dining room open to the southern backyard. The 'Dojo' exercise room also opens to the backyard. Garage and a guest apartment are situated in a separate building.

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