Four summer houses are set in Montenegro mountains, just a few kilometers away from the Adriatic sea. The project explores the potentials of open habitable spaces in relation to the common notion that only enclosed areas are considered as spaces to live in, occupy or own. As an innovative response to strict building regulations (minimal enclosed area required), AKVS architects turn the building inside-out. Instead of having many closed rooms and one open terrace, they designed one enclosed space and several open and semi-open areas, in this way blurring the boundary between habitable space and its natural surroundings, and directly engaging the architecture with its environment. The ratio of open to enclosed spaces achieved is 3:1. The houses are built on one half of already occupied lot and needed to be oriented opposite of the existing building to maintain its privacy. Each house shrinks in width, so that the interior spaces open to both front and side, allowing natural circulation of air and penetration of diffuse sunlight deep into the rooms. Simple architectural gestures transform each weather situation into an immersive spatial experience. Open dining areas are located between the neighboring houses, oriented east-west so that the sun reaches the space both at the beginning and at the end of the day.
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